A New Beginning
by mysteriousillusions
Summary: After TLO. Percy's high school year is interrupted when he is assigned on a simple quest with Annabeth & his newly discovered brother. But when Annabeth & Adam mysteriously disappear, it's up to Percy to save his friends and Atlantis. Contains Percabeth.
1. I Meet My Brother

Story Overview: Percy, Annabeth, and Adam go to California to scout for a new half-blood camp to combat the increasing amount of claimed half-bloods. Little do they know danger is always following them.

Characters: Percy and Annabeth will be the main characters. There will be 2 OCs, but they both play an important part in the story. They are, in my humble opinion, not Mary Sues or Gary Stus. Point of views will change very rarely; about once every three or four chapters.

Genre/Plot: This story is written to be similar to the PJO series written by Rick Riordan. It will be mainly adventure, though mystery plays a large role in the plot - many clues have been written so you can piece together what's going on without having to wait for a new chapter. There are numerous _subplots_ scattered throughout, the main one being Annabeth & Percy's growing relationship and feelings towards each other. The main plot is mentioned in the story summary.

Rating: Rated T for mild language and kissing.

Notes: I have tried my best not to make Annabeth and Percy OOC. I have kept in mind that while they know they have feelings for each other, they are not head over heels in love and still argue like brother and sister. Annabeth is intelligent and somewhat of a tomboy. Percy can be quite oblivious and is overly loyal and protective of friends. Reviews and constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated, as this is my first FanFiction. Thanks!

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**CHAPTER ONE: I MEET MY BROTHER**

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_Percy's POV_

It was a typical Saturday in August. I was in my room, just lying on my bed and staring at the ceiling while listening to my iPod. It was just like most of my summer days away from camp. My mom and Paul were in the living room, watching some movie together. They've been married for a few months now, and my mom's happier than ever.

Just then, my phone started ringing. I took it out of my pocket and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Seaweed Brain."

Oh gods. I haven't talked to Annabeth for weeks. She was probably out to kill me now.

"What's up, Wise Girl?"

"Nothing much. It's just that a certain Seaweed Brain hasn't talked with me for the past _two_ weeks."

Silence. I sat up on my bed and nervously looked out the window. How could I get myself out of this mess?

"I'm waiting for an answer."

"Well, um…"

"Percy, is something wrong?"

"No… it's just that… I've been busy with stuff."

"Care to explain what _kind_ of stuff?"

"I was helping Rachel pack up for her new school, and…"

"Oh."

"Oh? That's it?"

"No, well, I just wanted to talk to you."

"So how's your moving to the boarding school going?" Annabeth's parents were letting her stay in New York to help with the reconstruction of Olympus.

"Huh? Oh... yeah, it's going great."

"Listen, if you need any help, just call me, okay?"

"N-no, it's fine, Percy. Oh, and one last thing."

"Hmmm?"

"You'll be getting a real birthday present from me in about a week."

With that, she hung up. Okay, well... That was just about the weirdest conversation I ever had. A week? That would be when school started.

I groaned at the thought of _another _horrible school year. Me, being the loser I am, would probably barely pass my classes and always be the loner. It was going to be just like the past 15 failed years of my life.

But then, I smiled. As long as it wasn't another deformed cupcake, it'd be okay. Annabeth sure knew how to brighten up my day. As busy as she was designing the new Olympus, it was surprising she still remembered me.

And I have to admit, someone like her is _impossible_ to forget too. I could almost picture her stormy gray eyes and long blonde hair next to me. I groaned at the thought of having to wait another year to see her.

**. . . . . . . . . . **

About an hour later, my mom knocked on my bedroom door.

"Come in," I said, still lying on my bed.

She opened the door slowly. I noticed she was holding hands with Paul. The two of them had smiles on their faces.

"Percy, I have two things to tell you."

I sat up and removed my earbuds.

"One. I'm pregnant!"

The look on my face must have been pretty funny, because the two of them started cracking up. I was in total shock and I guess my face was plastered with a goofy looking grin with a hint of surprise.

"Wow. That's… great!" I said.

The two stopped laughing to look at me.

"We knew you'd be excited, Percy," my mom giggled, which was very unlike her. I guess this is what marriage does to you.

"Yeah. So, uh, is it a boy or girl?" I asked.

"It's too early to tell," Paul told me, clutching my mom's hand even tighter.

"Percy, I think you'll be more interested in this second piece of news," my mom said, moving on.

"You know how the Williams moved out last month? Well, we're getting new neighbors! Now you might ask why I'm so happy, but it's because one of my college friends is moving in. Her name's Madeline, and she has a son your age. I think you'll relate to him pretty well." She sounded like she knew something I didn't, but tried masking it with excitement.

I almost rolled my eyes. If she thought we were going to be, like, best friends or something, she was crazy. It's not that I'm not social, it's just that demigods aren't liked too much among mortals. Especially ones like me.

I listened to my mom as she went on. "They just moved in yesterday and Madeline invited us over to their apartment to talk and catch up. We'll leave in 10 minutes, all right?"

"Sure," I said absentmindedly while put my earbuds back on.

**. . . . . . . . . . **

Before I knew it, there we were, in front of Apartment #403. My mom decided to buy a vase of flowers and a dish set as a welcoming gift. Take a guess at who was holding the presents. That's right - me.

My mom nervously played with her hair for a few seconds, sighed, and pressed the doorbell. A soft _ding_ echoed in the apartment.

I heard small, quiet footsteps moving towards the door. The doorknob turned, and the door opened to reveal a medium aged Eurasian woman with long brown hair, sparkling walnut eyes, and lightly tanned skin.

"Sally!" Madeline exclaimed, and immediately proceeded to give my mom a bear hug.

"Madeline! It's been too long," my mom whispered, with small tears of joy falling from her eyes. After a minute, they pulled apart and my mom introduced Paul and me as the four of us stepped inside.

"Madeline, this is my husband, Paul. And my son, Percy."

Madeline shook Paul's hand and mine.

"It's great to finally meet you two! Percy, you can put those on the table." She motioned to a glass coffee table in between two cream sofas.

After I put down the gifts, I looked around the apartment. There wasn't anything out of the ordinary about it. It was pretty well furnished though, considering that they just moved in.

After the three adults were seated on one sofa, Madeline called for her son.

"Adam! Sally and Paul are here. Come out and say hello."

Since I was the only one still standing up, I turned my head towards the hallway, not sure of what to expect.

He was thin - not anorexically skinny, but most likely weighed less than me, and that was saying something. He had light brown surfer hair with overgrown bangs and tan skin. He was wearing a gray t-shirt and slim jeans; his eyes were sea green with specks of blue, hidden behind black rectangular glasses. The different aspects of his appearance strongly clashed against each other, leaving me confused of what sort of impression I had.

Adam walked towards us, carefully looking at the guests. He gave me a small smile. After the introductions were done, he invited me to his room to talk and get to know each other.

I agreed, but almost regretted it when I stepped inside his room and he closed the door, trapping us inside. He looked at me and simply said, "So, it's Percy Jackson. It's great to finally meet the hero in person." He gave a little chuckle that sounded evil.

Instinctively, I pulled out Riptide and half expected Adam to turn into some sort of monster.

_Oops._

His eyes grew huge and he started freaking out, leaning against the door as I approached him suspiciously.

"Whoa there, dude, calm down. I'm not an evil Titan or something."

Wait, _what_? How did he know about Titans? And that I was a hero?

I let my guard down for a split second, and Adam snatched Riptide out of my hands. He jumped forward, as I edged towards his bed, creating a sizable distance between us. After twirling the sword for a bit, he held it up to my throat. All in perfect Greek battle style.

Wow. This guy was interesting.

Out of nowhere, Adam just handed the sword to me and burst out laughing. I couldn't see what was so funny.

"I'm just messing with you."

Being the smart person I am, I said, "Huh?"

He paused for a breath of air. "And I thought my ADHD was bad… Well, don't you have any questions?"

Okay, so my brain wasn't working at its best. I guess Adam got the message. He sighed and sat down on his bed. I plopped down next to him.

He looked at me for a while, like we were in a staring contest. Startled, I noticed that we actually looked kind of alike. It was strange considering our physical appearances were almost opposites of each other. Finally, Adam adjusted his glasses and took a deep breath. "I'm your brother."

My brain finally woke up, and my mind started racing. What kind of idiot was I? Of course. The sword fighting skills. Knowing I was a hero. Having Poseidon's eyes. But why? And… how? How did a son of the Big Three stay in hiding for so long? Why did Dad never tell me? Then a memory flashed back in my mind. _"I suppose this means I can claim all those other sons and daughters of mine and send you some siblings next summer."_

"Wow… That's great!" I tried to sound happy.

"…I'm fluent in sarcasm, bro," he said flatly.

"It's not that I don't like you, it's just that I don't _know_ you. Yet."

"Oh yeah. Sorry. Let me tell you the whole story."

He paused, focusing his eyes on the floor. After a few seconds of silence, he turned back to me.

"You know how my mom and your mom were friends in college? ...And how gods have relationships with mortals?"

I nodded.

"Yeah. Well, naturally, girlfriends always talk to each other about everything – their clothes, their boyfriends, their obsessions – _everything_. So after your mom…met Poseidon… and, uh, they did _it_… well, let's just say my mom and Poseidon did the same thing."

He stopped again, his face turning a bright red. I thought about my dad cheating on my mom. It didn't sound too good. But that's what gods did all the time.

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about," I told him. He shrugged.

"I guess. Anyway, when we were both babies – you're older than me by a few weeks – you were the only one that reacted to water. You loved it. You would always be laughing and smiling when you were in the water. I, on the other hand, didn't like water at all. I was actually scared of it. Things got worse when my mom decided to become a dermatologist. See, she didn't want to get married. She didn't want me to grow up with a stepdad. So she wanted to get, you know, a job that pays well.

But you probably know that being a doctor isn't easy. She still had to finish another year of college, go through four years of medical school, and intern at a hospital. She knew she couldn't take care of me while that happened, so she went to Poseidon and begged him to take care of me and never let anyone else know about me until the time was right. She knew about the pact of the Big Three and how it broken... so she didn't want to face the wrath of the gods." He was talking slowly, like had to think of what to say.

He stopped to take a swig from a can of fruit punch. After a few sips, he stopped, leaned down, and tossed me a can.

"Thanks," I said, opening the can and taking a drink myself. This guy's story was interesting.

"So, when I was two, Poseidon took me to live with him. That was when I started reacting to water. I became in love with water. You have no idea how crazy a two-year-old gets when he learns he can breathe underwater." He laughed.

"I lived in Poseidon's palace for a while, but hidden from everybody. Nobody knew about me except for him and a few servants. You can imagine how mad Amphitrite would get if she found out..." he shuddered.

"Dad explained everything to me when I was 10. And I actually believed him. After all, living underwater since the age of 2 can make you believe anything. When I was 11, he had his military advisor teach me swordfighting. I'm okay with a sword, but nowhere near as skilled as you." I heard a slight hint of respect and admiration towards me, but at the same time, I felt a pang of jealousy. I had never even seen Dad's palace until this year, much less live in it. And he said I was his favorite son.

"When I turned 12, I found out my mom had just bought a house, and wanted me to come back to live with her. So I said goodbye to Poseidon and lived in California with my mom. We lived close to the beach, and I started surfing, which I found more interesting than battling. During the summer, I would visit Poseidon again, and he would bring me up-to-date about everything going on. Mostly about you and your adventures. I really wanted to meet my half brother, who was a huge hero, but Poseidon had promised to keep my existence a secret - and let's face it, who wants to come face to face with an angry wife when she realizes her husband cheated on her twice?"

I just laughed at his description of me and it was Adam's turn to look bewildered.

"I'm not as great as everyone thinks," I started. "You know, it's weird knowing that I'm some huge hero when I don't feel special. I mean, everyone talks about me and how heroic I am. Sure, I can fight monsters and save people, but really, I just want to fit in and live a normal life. One without all these adventures and life threatening journeys."

"Yeah, life for a demigod is never simple. But I feel so _useless_. I didn't do anything to save Olympus. I can barely use a sword..." he trailed off.

Silence for a few minutes. My brain tried to process everything he had said. Surprisingly, it made sense. But there were some gaps.

"Next summer, I'm going to Camp Half-Blood, now that it's safe and the prophecy has been fulfilled." Adam's gaze dropped to the floor.

I blinked. "Didn't Dad think about the possibility that you could've been the person in the prophecy?"

He sighed, and put his elbow on his thigh, resting his chin on top of his hand. He hesitated before answering. "Dad knows I can't save the world no matter how much I try. I'm not cut out to be a hero like you... So he made me immortal."

I looked at him incredulously.

"No, I'm not permanently immortal. It was just for a month, you know, before the battle and your birthday," he explained.

"Don't worry about Camp Half-Blood, it's a great place," I changed the subject. "You can meet more demigods. We always have a good time over there, doing crazy stuff." I looked out the bedroom window, down to the cars stuck in traffic and started thinking about how life would be so different next year.

"We?" he raised his eyebrow, "as in you and Annabeth?"

I shuffled my feet awkwardly for a few seconds. _Why did I even say that?_

"Yeah. She's one of the most amazing friends I've ever had. We saved each others lives so many times and been through so much…" I probably smiled stupidly then.

Wow, why was I being so open, talking about Annabeth?

Adam nodded slowly. "So what Poseidon told me _was_ true."

"What did he tell you?"

"That you and Annabeth liked each other. And how you two make a great couple. You'd be surprised at how much Dad keeps an eye on you," he said, grinning widely. "Not to mention Aphrodite made a soap opera on Hephaestus TV about you guys."

I groaned, and Adam started laughing.

"It's all right. Hey, wanna go the beach this weekend before school starts?"

"Sure. Paul owns a private stretch of beach down at South Shore. Here's my number, text me whenever you want. Calling's still kinda risky, but not as bad as before."

I took Riptide (in its pen form) and scribbled my number down a post-it note.

"What high school are you going to?" I asked, giving him the paper.

"Goode," he replied, as he punched my number into his phonebook.

I smiled, relieved that I might actually have a shot at enjoying this school year.

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Please review, and I'll be more motivated to write the second chapter. Thanks! (:


	2. I Get Slapped

Author's Note: Here's the next chapter! I was originally going to post it yesterday, but I ended up changing almost the whole thing, so it took longer.

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**CHAPTER TWO: I GET SLAPPED**

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**

_Percy's POV_

Rays of sunlight shone through my window and fell upon my face. Only half-awake, I groaned and used my arm to block out the light. Come on, a few more minutes of sleep wouldn't hurt, right?

Then I heard my phone ringing across the room, on my desk. Groaning again, I tried getting out of bed, but fell on the floor in a tangled mess of bed sheets. I clumsily stumbled over to the table and grabbed my phone.

It was a text from Adam. _"Hey bro. Meet up with me in the lobby at 11. I'll drive us to the beach. –Adam."_

I smiled. Meeting Adam seemed like a blur to me – it was a lot of stuff to take in. But I was pretty happy to have a (half) brother who I could relate so much to. I mean, yeah, we've known each for three days, but it feels like so much longer.

To be honest, it's the best feeling I ever had – not counting all those times with Annabeth and saving the world, obviously.

I texted him back. _"Okay. See you later."_ Setting my phone down, I looked at my digital clock. _Crap_. It was 10:50 already. Only ten minutes to get ready. I rummaged through my drawers to find a pair of swimming trunks and a t-shirt, and hurriedly changed into them.

I stuffed my phone and keys into a waterproof pocket of my shorts, and sprinted to the bathroom. When I was done, I quickly wrote a note for my mom (who was still asleep), telling her that I was going to the beach. After setting a paperweight over it, I left the apartment and headed down the long hallway to the elevator. I noticed a few doors down, another family was moving in. Cardboard boxes were stacked next to an open door.

_Hm. I guess these apartments must be pretty popular_, I thought to myself as I stepped inside the elevator and pressed the 'lobby' button.

_Ding_. The elevator doors opened, and there was Adam, all decked out for the beach. In one hand, he was holding his blue and gray surfboard. In the other, he was texting someone. A duffel bag lay strewn on the ground next to him.

He looked up as I approached him.

"Sorry for making you wait," I said.

"It's okay, I was just texting one of my friends from California about New York. She wants to visit someday," he replied with a wink. "Anyway, let's get to the beach. I'm dying to check out these waves."

I grinned as we both walked to the parking garage.

**. . . . . . . . .**

I think I'm in love.

"_This_ is your car?" I asked, my eyes bulging out of their sockets.

Adam just laughed as he unlocked his car's trunk and stuffed his duffel bag and surfboard inside.

I just stood there, staring at his sleek silver convertible. Man, it was amazing. I really had to start saving up for a car of my own.

Adam slammed the trunk closed and walked over to the driver's side. He looked at me sternly.

"I know she's sexy, but she's all mine," he said, trying to sound serious, as he started petting his convertible.

Oh gods. That just made me crack up. With a toothy grin, Adam unlocked the doors and stepped inside. I followed suit.

"So, where to?" Adam asked as we both buckled our seatbelts.

"South Shore. I'll give you directions as you're driving," I said.

**. . . . . . . . .**

_Annabeth's POV_

I gave a sigh of relief as I shut the door to Apartment #408. _408_. I gotta remember that.

I walked down the long corridor, glancing at the other apartment doors. 407, 406, 405… There. Percy's apartment. #404. I had a sudden urge to knock on the door.

No. Control yourself, Annabeth. You'll have to wait until Monday.

I sighed. Having to put up with moving from San Francisco to New York was traumatizing. My three brothers were already annoying the hell out of me, arguing over which of the boxes had their stuff. And don't even get me started on how much of my architecture papers and books I had to leave behind.

Hopefully a walk would help clear my mind. I stepped inside the elevator and pressed the 'lobby' button. On the bright side, I'm living closer to Olympus – which would make it easier to oversee the reconstruction – and Camp Half-Blood.

The elevator doors opened, and I stepped out into the air conditioned lobby. I was about to walk towards the glass doors when I stopped dead in my tracks.

I pulled out my invisibility hat from my pocket and put it on my head, just in time. Just to be safe, I ran to hide behind a tall potted tree. What has _he_ doing here? Okay, so maybe he _lived_ here, but Mrs. Jackson didn't tell me anything about this.

And who was that with him? I squinted my eyes and leaned forward a little, trying to get a better look. They were still too far away for me to see clearly. I waited patiently as they finally reached the lobby entrance and stepped inside.

This guy was slightly taller than Percy, with brown surfer hair, and eyes the same color as Percy's, except with hints of aquamarine. His skin was as tan as mine.

Percy and him were walking towards the elevator and joking around, laughing. Their smiles were contagious.

My body started warming up when they got closer to my hiding spot, which was right next to the elevator door. From my location, I could clearly hear their conversation. Apparently, this guy's name was Adam.

Seconds later, the two of them stepped inside the elevator and disappeared as I took off my hat and casually left the lobby for my walk.

**. . . . . . . . .**

"Are you sure you have everything you need, Annabeth?" my stepmom asked me, as she slid a third pancake on my plate. She was extremely excited for my first day at a new school.

"Yes, mom," I replied, drizzling syrup and berries over my plate. My dad, who was drinking a cup of coffee, looked a little nervous.

"What's wrong, dad?" I asked him while cutting my pancake.

"Nothing, dear. It's just a new workplace to get used to. New people to work around and get to know," he said with a sigh.

I nodded. After all, I would be starting a fresh sophomore year at a new high school, not like it wasn't something new to me, but the thought of spending a whole year with Percy slightly complicated things.

"So you talked to Mrs. Jackson last night about getting a ride with Percy, right?" my stepmom asked me, sitting down with her own plate of food.

"Yeah. She said to come over at 7:30 so I could explain things to Percy," I answered, with a small laugh towards the end. At the exact same time, my two brothers decided to walk into the kitchen.

"Percy? Your _boyfriend_?" Matthew asked, emphasizing the word boyfriend.

Bobby decided to join in. "Have you two kissed yet?" Bobby and Matthew started giggling. I rolled my eyes.

"Mom!" I complained. She gave the two of them stern looks, and they stopped.

I finished my pancakes and put the plate in the sink after downing a glass of orange juice. It was 7:25. _Time to leave_, I thought excitedly. I couldn't wait to see the look on Seaweed Brain's face when he saw me.

I gathered my backpack and books, slipped on my tennis shoes, and said goodbye to my family. I left my apartment, walked down four doors, and stopped at Apartment #404.

Sighing, I pressed the doorbell and the door opened immediately.

The beaming face of Mrs. Jackson welcomed me inside. I smiled and gave her a huge hug. After we pulled apart, I set my backpack and books down on the sofa.

"How are you and Paul?" I asked her politely.

"Oh, I'm doing fine. Paul already went off to the school, being a teacher and everything," she replied. I nodded in response.

"So, where's Percy?" I questioned.

She gave me a knowing look. "He's still sleeping. I think he'd like it better if you woke him up."

I went to Percy's room. The door was slightly ajar, so I pushed it open quietly. And, sure enough, there was Percy: still sleeping on his bed, with half of his covers on the ground, and drool leaking from a corner of his mouth. I shook my head and smiled.

I bent down and studied his face. He looked so peaceful when he was sleeping, with his hair covering one eye. I gave him a light peck on his cheek. (His lips seemed unsanitary from the drool.)

He still wasn't awake, so I shook his shoulder.

"Percy," I murmured.

No response.

"Percy." I said it louder this time.

He could probably sleep through an earthquake.

"PERCY!" I almost yelled out.

Aha. He bolted up, looking confused and sleepy. I waved my hands in front of him.

The look on his face was priceless. He looked like an excited drunken sailor being offered more whiskey. I rolled my eyes. _That's my Seaweed Brain_, I thought.

I looked at the clock. 7:40. We were going to be late if I didn't speed things up.

"Annabeth?" Percy exclaimed, still in bed, while rubbing his eyes.

"Yes, it is. I'll explain things after you get dressed."

He pulled the covers off, and yawned while stretching. "Okay, Wise Girl."

He got up out of bed. I looked at him. He was only wearing a white t-shirt with blue and green plaid boxers. A warm blush started creeping up to my cheeks. To hide my embarrassment, I opened the door to his closet and picked out a navy checkered shirt and khaki cargo shorts.

Closing the closet gently, I tossed the clothes to Percy. "Hurry and get dressed before we're late," I said, exiting his room.

**. . . . . . . . .**

Ten minutes later, Percy and I sat next to each other in his kitchen. He was eating a bowl of Frosted Flakes while I tried to explain things to him.

"My parents decided I would be a bit lonely by myself at a boarding school, so they surprised me by saying our whole family would be moving to New York. And, your mom told us there was a vacant apartment here, so things worked out even better than planned."

Percy beamed. "Don't let your head get too big, though," I laughed while tapping his head with my knuckles.

"I could use a bigger brain..." he mused.

I rolled my eyes while stifling a laugh. "Anyway, my dad finally finished writing his book and wanted to move back here to start on something new. The move was good for everybody."

Percy nodded as he finished his bowl of cereal and set it in the sink.

"So, what's your schedule?" I asked him.

He rummaged through his jeans pocket, pulling out a piece of paper that looked like it had been folded one too many times. He set it on the table and did his best to straighten out the wrinkles.

I took out mine, which I neatly put in the front pocket of my binder, and placed it right next to his. We both compared our classes, although it took a while with our dyslexia.

"Three classes together, not too bad…" I told him. "It's better than not even living in the same state as you," Percy said with a grin as I placed my hand atop his. "True," I laughed.

We were too busy to notice that the apartment door had opened and someone had come in.

"Hey Percy… and Annabeth," a slightly deep voice said. I could hear his footsteps on the kitchen tiles as he approached us.

Percy leaned over and grinned. "Hi, Adam."

I tilted my head and got a glance at Adam, dressed in a teal flannel shirt and dark blue jeans. His eyes were entrancing as I gazed deeper and deeper into them. There was something about him that...

"Annabeth?" Percy shot me a confused look.

I blinked several times, and turned my head towards Percy, trying to ignore Adam. _It's nothing more than stupid teenage hormones_, I thought.

But this never happened to me before. And besides, the 'love at first sight' trash is just stupid.

"Annabeth, this is Adam. He's my half brother, as in one of Poseidon's kids. He lives next door," Percy explained.

"Hi, Adam," I said meekly, trying to avoid his gaze.

"Wait, how come we've never met before?" I added, after processing what Percy had said.

"It's a long story. Percy can tell you some other time," he said with a chuckle.

Adam leaned over and saw our schedules on the table. He stuck his hand in his shirt pocket and pulled out his schedule. Percy's eyes scanned over the paper for about a minute. "Hey, we have three classes together," he said, looking at Adam.

My eyes darted from his schedule to mine. We had three classes together as well.

Adam stood up as he tossed a bundle of keys to Percy. "Come on guys. I don't wanna be late on the first day. Can you drive today, Percy? I don't know how to get to Goode."

Percy removed his hand from mine to catch the keys and stood up, excited for some strange reason.

**. . . . . . . . .**

We pulled into the parking lot of Goode High School. There were crowds of students everywhere, talking and laughing. I managed to get a glimpse at the school. The buildings were brownstones, an architectural style which I never really liked. There were stone walkways, bordered by lush green landscaping all around the school, which radiated importance and sophistication.

I was sitting in the passenger side of Adam's convertible, next to Percy. Earlier, Adam insisted that Percy and I sit in front so we could talk.

"There's a parking spot," I pointed out to Percy.

I have to admit, I was impressed by Adam's car, but more impressed by Percy's improved driving. He drove all the way to school without running any red lights or crashing into fire hydrants. (Don't get me started on that.)

Percy smoothly parked the car and turned off the engine. The three of us unbuckled our seatbelts, gathered our backpacks, and headed off to class.

We all had the same first period class – Chemistry. We were seated by last name, which meant I was in the front, Percy was in the middle, and Adam was in the back.

And what better way to kick off the school year than to take an eight page Chemistry Pre-Test?

The room was deadly silent as Mr. Kuch passed out the thick packets. The moment the packet hit my desk, I felt my brain melting. Sighing, I started the test. I blanked out on the first few questions, but the information started coming back to me in the later questions. After about an hour, I was done. I looked around the room, noting that Adam and about three-fourths of the class was also done.

Percy, on the other hand, was mouthing '_help me_' with a pleading expression. I shot him a do-your-own-work-and-don't-get-both-of-us-in-trouble look.

Too late. "Mr. Jackson and Ms. Chase, please." Mr. Kuch's stern voice reverberated on the walls.

Some of the girls giggled as I slouched back in my seat and groaned.

**. . . . . . . . .**

Goode High School was built with a unique design, which I noticed after going to my second, third, and fourth period classes. All of the departments had their own huge two-story building, which were built in a V shape. The other buildings (office, cafeteria, etc.) were also built in a V shape, facing the classrooms. There was a huge grass field in the southeast corner and a swimming pool in the southwest.

Anyway, I was halfway towards the cafeteria entrance, scanning the sea of students for Percy and Adam. They were nowhere to be found, so I started walking back towards Mr. Blofis's classroom, which was their fourth period class.

There they were, right in front of his classroom. They were with three giggling girls, most of them wearing short shorts and revealing shirts. Percy was laughing and talking with them, his cheeks flushed. On the other hand, Adam wasn't paying attention and just looking around, trying to find someone.

Percy was _so_ going to get it.

As I stormed towards them, Adam caught my eye and looked relieved. He said something to Percy, who reluctantly waved to the girls as they left the group and walked in my direction.

The moment Percy was close enough, I balled my hand into a fist and punched him on the shoulder. Hard.

He pulled back, wincing while rubbing his shoulder. "What was _that_ for?" he asked me.

"Don't get me started," I muttered, stalking towards the cafeteria with Adam and Percy trailing behind and whispering to each other.

Just as I was about to open the door to the cafeteria, Percy rushed up and put his hand on my shoulder. My body froze, and I whipped my head around. In the process, my ponytail slapped Percy in the face. I smirked.

His eyes locked into mine. They glimmered, like the ocean on a sunny day, and for once, I could tell Percy was sorry. My expression softened a bit.

"I–I'm… sorry, Annabeth," he spoke softly. Adam was solemnly watching us from a distance. When I looked at him, he nodded slowly.

I took a deep breath. This was going to be hard. "Promise me you'll never do it again… and I'll forgive you," I told Percy.

Percy smiled a little. "I promise," he said.

"Then I forgive you," I said simply.

A janitor walked by, armed with a broom and mop, and saw us loitering outside. "Get inside the cafeteria," he barked.

I noticed my hand was still on the door. I swung the door open as the three of us rushed inside the crowded cafeteria.

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Please let me know what you think by reviewing!


	3. I Give Swimming Lessons

Author's Note: Dun dun dun. This is the chapter where their adventure starts. In this chapter, Adam's personality is revealed a bit more.

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**CHAPTER THREE: I GIVE SWIMMING LESSONS**

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_Percy's POV_

My last class of the day was P.E., which I had with Annabeth and Adam. Unlike my most of my other teachers, I took a liking to Mr. Perry. He seemed pretty cool and not too strict with rules. I shuddered at the thought of my seventh grade P.E. teacher who made my class run a mile every day.

"As it should have said on your schedule, we will be doing swimming for this semester and track for next semester," Mr. Perry said after explaining his expectations and safety rules.

I grinned. Swimming was my favorite sport. After all, what would you expect from a son of Poseidon? I glanced over at Annabeth to see her reaction. She had a look of fear in her eyes, but it was gone in a blink of an eye. My gaze still on her, I realized I would have to teach her how to swim eventually.

Annabeth noticed me looking at her, and she turned to me as if to say _what the Hades are you doing?_ Embarrassed, I whipped my head back towards Mr. Perry.

"We have about forty minutes left of class. Let's spend the time getting used to the water. If you don't know how to swim, you can get a friend to help you, or you can come to me. Remember, stay in the shallow pool. No diving!" Mr. Perry shouted at the end.

The guys and the girls went in separate ways to change into our swimming attire.

After about ten minutes, Adam and I were both finished changing and decided to wait for Annabeth. I was wearing navy swimming trunks with white vertical stripes down the side. Adam was in olive swimming trunks with Hawaiian flowers printed all over.

"Does Annabeth know how to swim?" Adam asked me.

"She was never really interested in learning," I explained.

He nodded. "You should teach her then. After all, she is your girlfriend."

"We're not _officially_ going out," I admitted. "Just a few kisses and hugs and holding hands... We never really talked about being together, but everyone just assumes it."

"What?" Adam stared at me blankly. Shaking his head, he said, "Percy, you're gonna have to get serious if you want to stay with her…"

I thought about that. Okay, maybe he had a point there. I never really told Annabeth my feelings about her. It was usually _her _who talked to me. It was _her _who kissed me those four times. It was _her_ who always hugged me before entering a life threatening situation. But how would I tell her?

"How can I tell her?" I asked stupidly. By now, I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks, and I was starting to sweat a little.

Adam was about to say something when I saw Annabeth approaching us from the other side of the swimming pool. A huge smile spread across my face, and my face started burning. She looked more beautiful than ever, in a modest gray one-piece swimming suit that matched her eyes. _Typical Annabeth,_ I thought. She hated being more girly than necessary.

Adam nudged me. "It looks like your face could use some ice," he laughed. He lowered his voice and looked at me. "I have to admit, she is really pretty. And from what I've heard, brave and smart too. You're lucky to have someone like her."

I mumbled "yeah" and tried not to seem too embarrassed.

After what seemed like hours, Annabeth finally reached us. Her glistening gray eyes were fixed on me. I raised my eyebrow.

Just so you know, I'm not the most athletic person on the face of the earth. I can swordfight, swim, and duel, but it doesn't really show. By that, I mean that I don't have ripped abs and a six pack, yet people think that about me. Sure, I'm pretty muscular, but not lifeguard material as some people would put it.

Annabeth moved her eyes towards Adam and studied him. I locked my eyes on hers until she looked away with a slightly embarrassed look on her face. The next few seconds were silent until Adam gave me a expecting look that screamed _Hello? Say something nice to her_.

I stumbled over what to say, hoping I wouldn't offend her or em brass myself.

"A-Annabeth, you …uh… look great!" I gave her a smile, which I hoped didn't look too goofy.

Annabeth nodded her head slightly, and said softly, "You do too, Seaweed Brain." She quickly added, "As do you, Adam."

The three of us just stood there awkwardly for a few more moments, until Adam suggested that we get in the pool. I happily agreed, while Annabeth seemed a little worried.

"What is it?" I asked her with a frown.

"I don't know how to swim… so can you guys teach me?" Just what I expected. Wise Girl here didn't know how to swim.

She looked at me and Adam, anticipating an answer. We both said "sure" as we reached the edge of the pool. Annabeth looked at the water nervously.

Adam and I both jumped in the water, splashing tiny droplets of water in Annabeth's direction. The water was pretty warm, considering it was the end of the day. Since we were in the shallow pool, we had to bend our knees and slouch to submerge our bodies. Being in the water was pretty calming after a near chaotic first day of school.

"C'mon, Annabeth. Get in the pool!" I told her.

She flashed me an angry look, but slid in the pool. I could tell she wasn't used to being in this much water, but she showed no signs of fear.

"How does the water feel?" Adam asked her.

Annabeth's teeth were chattering, making it obvious that she was pretty cold. "I-it's okay-y. Not as b-bad as I thought-t."

"So what should we teach her first?" I asked Adam as he spread out his arms in the pool like a butterfly. "Hmmm… when I used to teach kids how to swim, we started out by making them stick their head underwater for a few seconds."

"Okay, Wise Girl, take a breath of air and keep it in your mouth. Go underwater for a few seconds, and stick your head back up when you're out of air," I explained to her.

Adam swam a little closer to Annabeth. "If you feel uncomfortable, just hold on to me, and I'll pull you up."

"Ready?" I asked Annabeth. She nodded and took a breath of air. She quickly submerged her head. I did the same thing.

We were both underwater now, with our faces about a foot apart. Annabeth seemed calm as her eyes wandered around underwater. Trying to lighten the mood, I smiled and made a face at her. Big mistake. She accidentally opened her mouth and started thrashing around like she was in a cage. Adam noticed and pulled her up to the surface while I emerged from underwater. Annabeth spit out the water and started coughing. Her eyes were red from the chlorine.

I reached out and touched her hand. When she didn't protest, I laced my fingers through hers. "You did good, Annabeth. Just don't open your mouth or breathe in when you're underwater, okay?"

"If you didn't smile at me and made yourself look like an idiot, I wouldn't have started laughing," Annabeth protested. I rolled my eyes.

"I was trying to help you calm down," I argued defensively.

"Well, it didn't help, did it?" she almost yelled at me.

By now, most of the students were in the pool staring at us. I sighed. "Come on, guys. You can save the world together but not stay in a pool without arguing?" Adam asked us.

Annabeth looked ready to argue back, but I splashed water at her. "He has a point," I told her.

Then, her expression changed from angry to shocked. I looked at her blankly.

"Hey, what's that?" Adam asked me. He was pointing to where I had splashed Annabeth. There was a mist of water shooting up from the pool. The sunlight overhead created a small rainbow in the fine mist.

The face of Chiron appeared. "This, child, is an Iris message. I take it that Poseidon never sent you any?" he asked Adam.

"Well, no…" Adam said, surprised to be talking to a centaur through a veil of water.

"Percy and Annabeth will explain more about this later. For now, I have to tell you three something," Chiron went on.

"Wait, I don't even know you. And why do you need to talk to me?" Adam asked.

Chiron almost sighed, but stopped himself. "I'm Chiron, the head of Camp Half-Blood. Poseidon has told all of Olympus about you, being the fourth child of the Big Three. And since you are with the two bravest demigods of the century, why not?"

Adam's eyes grew big. "You're Chiron? The famous centaur?"

Chiron nodded. "Yes. You've learned about me in Greek mythology, haven't you? Let's get to the point before this message expires –"

"What if the mortals see us talking to you?" Annabeth interrupted.

"I have manipulated the Mist so it looks like you three are talking to each other. Without any further interruptions, the reason why I am Iris messaging you during school hours is because we have a quest for you three. As you know, Percy's request to the gods to claim their children has resulted in a massive amount of campers next year, even more than we have projected previously." He paused.

"Go on," I said.

"The gods have discussed this matter and decided to open a second Camp Half-Blood to meet the massive demand, as our current camp is in disrepair from the battle. And they unanimously chose Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase to scout for a new location. Poseidon expressed interest in including Adam on the quest as well. Athena has chosen Annabeth to design the new camp, which will be of higher priority than the reconstruction of Olympus."

Annabeth looked proud. "Did the gods specify an area to scout in?" she asked.

"Yes. They want the camp to be on the coast of California. Poseidon informed them he could create a whirlpool linking the two camps together for easy transportation." Chiron looked at us expectantly.

We thought about this for a while. Adam looked pretty excited while Annabeth and I knew better. Quests always had a tendency to turn dangerous.

"Well?" Chiron asked us.

I looked at Annabeth and Adam, who both nodded. "We're in," I told Chiron.

He looked pleased. "I shall notify the gods immediately. Percy, Annabeth, and Adam, your quest begins tomorrow." With that, the message faded.

Annabeth had a look of horror on her face. "Tomorrow?" she asked, unable to believe her ears.

I shrugged. "We've been in worse situations. Besides, how hard can it be to scout for a new location?"

She gave me an exasperated look. "Percy, it's more difficult than you think. The new location has to have everything that current Camp Half-Blood has. Like a beach, a forest, a well hidden entrance… you know."

Oh, right. "How many places in California are like that?" I asked Annabeth and Adam. Since they both used to live there, I figured they would know.

"Not much," Adam admitted. Annabeth nodded her head in agreement.

The sound of Mr. Perry's whistle pierced through my ears. "Time to get dressed," he announced.

"Let's talk more about this at my place. My mom's out of town for a few days," Adam offered as we got out of the pool.

**. . . . . . . . . **

"So… let's get started," I said. We were sitting on a sofa in Adam's apartment. Annabeth had Daedalus's laptop on the coffee table, which she had just turned on.

She looked at me and raised an eyebrow. "You've never lived in California, so leave this to me and Adam."

"Fine," I grumbled, as I crossed my arms.

The login screen on the laptop flashed on, with Daedalus's insignia glowing in the center. Annabeth typed in the password. Seconds later, she opened up Google. Her fingers sat poised on the keyboard, ready to type.

She looked at Adam. "Any ideas?"

**. . . . . . . . . **

_I was at the beach, swimming in the cool glistening water, as the sun started setting in the distance. The clear sky was a mirage of blue and orange. I looked around, noticing that I was the only person here. I shrugged it off, and went back to swimming._

_I didn't realize that the distance between me and the shore began increasing. Before long, the sand became no more than a tiny speck in the horizon. The sun was no longer in sight, and everything was covered in a blanket of mild darkness – it was probably only about seven, almost eight in the evening. I could clearly see a tiny island in the water in front of me._

_I never tire in the water, so I just continued swimming towards it. As the minutes crept by, and the world became darker, I noticed a figure on the island. He or she was lying down on the sand, hurt. I was worried and began to swim at a much faster pace. As soon as I was within twenty feet of the island, I started wheezing._

_My lungs felt weak, and every breath I took seemed to only tire me more. This was strange. This wasn't supposed to happen to a son of Poseidon. What was going on?_

_Before too long, I had the feeling I was sinking in the water. I gasped for air, but only saltwater came in my mouth. I relaxed every muscle in my body as the water started closing over my head. I closed my eyes and didn't even bother breathing as I fell down towards my watery doom._

I woke up in a cold sweat, bolting up from something soft, and flashed my eyes open. Darkness engulfed me. Where was I?

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Ooh, it's a cliffhanger… Please review so I know what to improve for future chapters. Plus I'll be more motivated to write.


	4. We Eat Cold Pizza

Author's Note: Thank you so much for all the reviews and story alert subscriptions! Here's another chapter. (: This one has a lot more emotion & action.

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**CHAPTER FOUR: WE EAT COLD PIZZA**

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_Percy's POV_

I woke up in a cold sweat, bolting up from something soft, and flashed my eyes open. Darkness engulfed me. Where was I?

My eyes scanned the room. I gave a sigh of relief when I realized I had fallen asleep on Adam's sofa. It was nighttime, but nobody bothered to turn on the lights. Annabeth was sitting on the sofa across from me, her laptop's screen illuminating her body.

I blinked. With shocking realization, I remembered now. The person in my dream was Annabeth.

"Are you okay, Percy? You're drenched in sweat and you've been making weird sounds in your sleep." Annabeth walked over and sat down next to me. She took a mug from the coffee table and handed it to me.

"It's hot chocolate. Drink some, it'll make you feel better."

I gladly accepted the mug. My heart started beating faster as I put the warm mug up to my lips and a warm rush of sweetness poured down my throat. I gently placed the mug back on the glass coffee table and turned to Annabeth. She was looking at me with concern in her gray eyes.

I felt my blood run cold. There was no way I was going to lose Annabeth. Vivid images from my dream flashed in my mind - of me drowning, of Annabeth laying hurt on the island. It's been a long time since I had a disturbing dream like that, and I desperately hoped it turned out to be no more than a figment of my imagination. My mind felt hazy and strange. Something was off.

I did the best thing I could to reassure myself. I leaned closer towards Annabeth and wrapped my arms around her. I pulled her face closer towards mine, engulfing the two of us in a warm hug.

Annabeth went along with the hug and wrapped an arm around my back. My skin felt numb, and it felt as if it were a hundred degrees. I didn't want to let go. It felt so good – beyond words.

A few years back, I remember there was a time I thought Annabeth would leave me forever.

_[Grover gave me the brochure. It was about the Hunters of Artemis._

_"I found that in Annabeth's backpack," Grover said._

_I stared at him. "I don't understand."_

_"Well, it seems to me...maybe Annabeth was thinking about joining."_

_I'd like to say I took the news well. The truth was, I wanted to strangle the Hunters of Artemis one eternal maiden at a time. _

_The rest of the day I tried to keep busy, but I was worried sick about Annabeth.]_

I sighed at the memory. Athena had said that my fatal flaw was being too loyal towards friends... not wanting to let them go. I gave it some thought and realized she was right. But I couldn't let my best friend, who I've known for four years, disappear out of my life. It didn't feel right.

Then it hit me. This was the perfect time to tell her how I really felt. I nervously thought of what to say.

I've been told I'm a person who does stuff on instinct, rather than thinking it through. I can't blame them for thinking that.

After a few seconds, I took a deep breath to brace myself… and kissed Annabeth.

Yeah. _I_ kissed her. Not on the cheek, but on the lips. Everything started to seem fuzzy to me, and I was scared for my life. What if I wasn't a good kisser? What if I was taking it too far? What if...?

She was a bit surprised at first, and I didn't blame her. I wasn't what you would call romantic. I found girls to be pretty confusing, actually. But a few seconds later, her lips softened into mine and she tilted her head a bit. I moved one of my hands to her lower cheek, hoping I wasn't trembling too much. Her skin felt silky soft and smelled of chocolate.

Screw our underwater kiss; this one definitely topped it. We could have stayed this way forever – since our kiss was light and didn't cut off our oxygen supply – but I started pulling away slowly. I wanted to talk things out with her now after setting the mood.

Now we were sitting on the sofa, facing each other. Annabeth's face showed a mixture of emotions that I couldn't decipher. She gave me a questioning look after a moment of silence. Oh gods, please let this turn out well. I gave a weak smile and opened my mouth, ready to confess.

"Annabeth, I – I've been meaning to tell you this for a long time."

She looked at me, trying to stifle a laugh. Why did she have to look so beautiful when she did that? Hell, she probably already knew what I was going to say.

"A-Annabeth…" I said her name softly.

I gulped. _Man up_, I told myself. I gathered up all my courage and got ready to tell her. To tell the truth, I'd been thinking a lot about this over the past few weeks. I knew I'd have to tell her someday; and I felt reassured after how much closer we became those last weeks of camp. Surely she had _some_ feelings for me, right?

"I – I…" I stuttered.

"Yes?" she asked me, turning serious once again.

"I really like you. More than as friends," I mumbled quietly in a barely audible voice.

"What was that?" she asked again, although I was completely sure she heard me. My cheeks turned red and I remembered what she told me almost a month ago: _"I am never, __ever__ going to make things easy for you, Seaweed Brain. Get used to it."_

"I... like you. More than just friends... and, um, I was wondering if, uh, you, er, felt the s-same way?" I asked timidly, sounding like an actor who didn't memorize his lines.

Annabeth leaned back on the sofa and sighed, giving me an amused look.

"Are you gonna answer me?" I asked her impatiently.

She gave a small laugh and shook her head slowly. Then, we sat there – in silence for a few minutes. It wasn't an awkward silence, but more like one of those thoughtful silences.

"Percy?"

I turned my head back to Annabeth. She looked kind of sheepish.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry." Her words were so sincere, but I was confused.

"For what?"

"For being a jerk today." She looked down, taking an interest to the carpet. Her eyelashes hid her eyes. When I didn't say anything, she continued.

"I-it's just… it's so much to take in. I can't get over the fact that Luke is gone… how many of our friends died… And all the stress from moving. I'm sorry I took out my anger on you," she confessed.

I edged my hand closer to hers and squeezed it tightly.

"Annabeth, it's okay. What matters is that we're all safe," I reassured her.

She nodded reluctantly. "It's far from a fairy tale ending though," she sniffed.

"We're demigods. Things are never easy for us," I grinned.

Annabeth couldn't help but smile back at me. She leaned near my ear and whispered, "I really like you too, Seaweed Brain."

Hearing Annabeth say that made my heart beat a million miles an hour. My body almost went numb.

She snickered after seeing the look on my face. I smiled again for the thousandth time today, so my mouth was starting to get sore. I could picture Aphrodite watching us, tearing up at how Annabeth and I made up.

At that moment, my stomach started to growl. That made me remember that I hadn't eaten anything since lunch.

Annabeth smirked and said, "Adam's gone out to get pizza for us. It's taking him a long time though."

She glanced up at the clock. My eyes grew big. It was 8 P.M. already, which meant I'd been sleeping for almost five hours.

"Did you guys have a good time while I was asleep?" I asked, wiggling my eyebrows. (Hey, I'm not that oblivious.)

Annabeth's face turned a light red. "Percy, he's nothing but a friend to me." Really? A "friend" who she's only known for half a day?

I wasn't so convinced. "I saw the way you looked at him during swimming."

She looked away from me, totally embarrassed. "Sure, he has nice looks, but you're a lot more than just that," she said reluctantly towards the end.

I grinned. "You're really flattering, you know?"

She snorted. "Don't let it get to your head."

Right after she said that, my phone started ringing. "Who could it be?" I asked, puzzled, as I took it out of my pocket.

It was a text. Shrugging, I opened it and realized it was from Adam. I couldn't believe it.

_help monster in parking garage_

I read it over a few times, making sure I read it correctly. It was unlike Adam not to use correct punctuation and grammar, so I figured he was in grave danger. I hurriedly gave Annabeth my phone to read the text.

My thoughts started racing. _Monsters?_ They were supposed to be rare, now that the conflict in Olympus had been resolved. And why were they suddenly attacking Adam, someone they had no particular interest in until now?

"Hurry, let's go!" she commanded me while she dug through her backpack to find her Yankee baseball cap.

We both jumped off of the sofa and dashed out of Adam's apartment to the elevator. We impatiently stood there, waiting for about a minute.

"Does Adam have a weapon?" Annabeth asked as the elevator _dinged_ and we stepped inside.

I pressed the button to go to the lobby. The elevator started moving downwards. I leaned against the railing. "He told me Poseidon gave him a celestial bronze sword. But he doesn't carry it with him much, though."

She stared at me like I was crazy. "Doesn't he know better? Demigods are always supposed to be armed with something."

I tapped my foot impatiently. "He's never been attacked before."

The elevator door opened and the two of us ran towards the glass doors. The clerk at the desk glared at us for disturbing the peace.

We ignored him and the other people in the lobby. I flung open the glass door, with Annabeth on my heels. The cool evening Manhattan breeze whipped against my body, causing me to shiver. _Damn it, I should've brought a jacket_, I thought. The sun has long set, and it was beginning to turn dark.

"Percy, let's go." Annabeth tugged at my arm and we raced into the two story parking structure.

It was dark, save for a few small ceiling lights that emitted a white hue of light. I could hear the sound of cars driving past on the street. My eyes scanned across the structure and focused on a _dracaena_ – its twin serpent tails were wriggling restlessly, trying to wrap around Adam, who was agile and dodged them.

He noticed Annabeth and me running towards him and grinned as he shot an orb of water at the dracaena's face, stunning it for a few short moments. This bought us time while I uncapped Riptide and Annabeth put on her cap.

"Hey! Over here!" I yelled at the ferocious reptile. It whipped its head around and gave an evil smile.

"I've been expeccccting you, Perccccy Jackssssson," it hissed. I expected it to start attacking me, but instead it turned its head back to Adam, who sneaked closer to me. _This dracaena knew I was invincible_, I realized.

"Not ssssso fassst!" it screamed when it saw Adam was getting closer to me. It pointed its sharp spear at Adam and sparks of blue electricity spewed out, crackling as it electrocuted him. He winced at the pain and collapsed on the hard concrete with a _thud_.

I glared at the dracaena, pointing Riptide menacingly at it. It gave a harsh laugh. _Where was Annabeth? She should've killed it by now,_ I thought to myself.

I stepped closer towards the monster and starting jabbing it with my sword. It dodged every move. It gave me a wicked grin before it was replaced by a look of pain and started dissolving into tiny particles of dust.

Annabeth reappeared, dagger in hand. "Sorry, Percy. I was trying to delay killing it so we could get more information from it, but when it injured Adam" – she looked behind my shoulder nervously – "I had to do something."

I understood. "Let's talk about this later. I need to heal Adam."

Then, I finally heard the rushing sound of water. I turned to the source of the noise and saw a fountain of water spraying from a broken water pipe on the side of the parking garage.

Lucky for us, it was already dark and very few people were out on the streets. Focusing on the water, I moved it towards Adam and doused him with it. Annabeth was by his side already, holding his arm and trying to get him up. I ran over to them and saw Adam's eyes flutter open. He winced, but slowly sat up.

"Sorry about that, guys. I – I wasn't expecting to be attacked, so I didn't bring along my sword," he said.

Annabeth looked at him with a comforting gaze. "Look, it wasn't your fault. Can you tell us what happened?"

He finally got the energy to stand back up and started walking to his car. We followed him. "I was just buying pizza, you know, and everything was normal then. But when I finished parking my car and got out, I saw that huge monster thing –"

"It's a dracaena," I informed him.

"Yeah. A dracaena. It started attacking me but I managed to defend myself with some water from the pipes." Adam gave us a rueful smile. "I hid behind a column so I could text you. Right after I sent the message, it found me. Lucky for me, you guys came a few minutes later."

He opened his car door and took out a box of pizza. "It might be a little cold, but hey, it's better than nothing," he winked.

Annabeth frowned. "A monster can't be a good sign. I wonder why it came here to target you. We need to be careful during our quest."

"C'mon, we can worry about this later. I'm starving. Race you back!" I yelled as I sped off towards the lobby.

"Hey! Cheater. No head starts," Annabeth laughed as she ran after me.

Adam started sprinting after the two of us. "I'm the one holding the pizza!"

**. . . . . . . . . .**

It was 9 o'clock when we finished eating the pizza.

"So, where are we going tomorrow?" I asked Annabeth and Adam after we finished cleaning up. They looked at each other happily. Annabeth went over to get her laptop and set it down on the dining table. After she opened it, I saw pictures of a breathtaking beach with foamy waves and an orange sunset. Next to the beach were wetlands – little patches of grass surrounding small ponds, alive with birds and wildlife. As you went in deeper, it became a forest, with tall trees and plants everywhere.

"What do you think?" Adam asked me.

"It's perfect," I grinned. It had everything the current camp had – a beach, a forest, and a serene setting.

"Where, uh, exactly is this place?" I pressed.

"Huntington State Park," Annabeth answered.

"It's in Southern California. More specifically, Orange County. You know the show called The OC?" Adam asked me.

I snorted. "The one about all those stupid rich kids and their oh-so-difficult lives?"

Adam looked hurt. "It's not all like that. I used to live there, and trust me, it's nothing like the show."

"You lived there?" I asked incredulously.

He nodded. "Yep. I actually lived in the same city as the place we're going to: Huntington Beach. Also known as Surf City. It's a great place. You guys are gonna love it."

"Let's start planning," Annabeth interrupted. "It's 9 already and Seaweed Brain here still didn't finish his homework."

I rolled my eyes. "I can just copy off of you guys later."

Annabeth glared at me. "You're not going to learn anything by copying."

I was about to retort something, but she held her hand up, stopping me. "Chiron sent me the measurements for the new camp. We're going to have to make sure we draw the border correctly. And, one last thing. How do you plan on getting there?"

I laughed. "How do you think? We've got two sons of Poseidon here."

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I really tried making their conversation at the beginning realistic. I hope Percy and Annabeth weren't OOC - I wrote what I thought they would say based on their personality - Percy being nervous and kind of timid, Annabeth being witty and tomboy-ish.


	5. Annabeth Gets Kidnapped

Author's Note: It took a while to write this chapter, which has an action scene. Please excuse the blandly written prophecy. I hoped this chapter seemed more like something from the books, with Percy's sarcasm and such. Please read and review. (:

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**CHAPTER FIVE: ANNABETH GETS KIDNAPPED**

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_Percy's POV_

It was early morning, and a few rays of sunlight streamed past the surface of the water, illuminating the breathtaking view of the underwater sea life.

"This is actually pretty comfortable," Annabeth commented as she sat down, laptop in hand. The three of us were in a gigantic air bubble – about the size of a small bedroom – heading towards California. We whizzed past small fish and the occasional shark, past tangles of seaweed and beautiful marble-like coral colonies.

I sat down next to her, watching as she booted up the computer. Last night, Annabeth had reluctantly agreed to having a little vacation while we were on the quest.

"_Please?" I begged her, doing my best to give a her the puppy eyed look._

_Her eyes narrowed before she burst out in laughter. "You are really bad at acting."_

_I groaned. "Is that a yes or no?"_

"_C'mon, Annabeth. The quest isn't a matter of life or death, so we can take it slow," Adam said._

_Annabeth looked at both of us carefully and sighed. "Fine. But not too long."_

So, we each packed a suitcase of clothes and belongings. I really needed a vacation, to be honest. The last offer I'd had was going to the Caribbean with Rachel. Sadly, I had to turn it down.

"Percy." Annabeth had opened a file on the laptop. A little gray bar showed it was loading. After a few seconds, I saw a computerized model of… me. Well, a white marble statue of me. The statue me was standing up straight, with Riptide in hand. His eyes looked fierce, but there was a smile on his face, like the way dentists look before pulling out your teeth. _I'm gonna kill you now!_ _But don't worry, it's not going to hurt at all._

I looked at Annabeth, at a loss for words. I managed to say, "It's me."

She rolled her eyes and punched me in the shoulder lightly. "Of course it's you, Seaweed Brain."

I smiled and remembered what she had told me. Slowly, I pieced together everything. "Thanks for the present, Annabeth."

Her eyes sparkled, reflecting the water that surrounded us. "Your dad insisted there be a statue of you in the Hall of Heroes, so I designed it. I would've showed you earlier, but –"

I silenced her by placing my hand on her shoulder. "It's okay. Thank the gods it wasn't another blue deformed lump."

Adam cleared his throat. I almost forgot he was here, sitting on the other side of Annabeth. "Sorry to spoil the romantic moment" – Annabeth and I blushed – "but Percy, you should be glad it didn't turn out to be one of those naked statues." He grinned wickedly.

Annabeth and I were embarrassed at first, but we both laughed our heads off while Adam kept teasing us. I couldn't remember the last time I felt so carefree and just plain happy. It was one of the best feelings in the world.

–––– x ––––

We spent the rest of the trip just relaxing and catching up on sleep. (Sleeping in an air bubble underwater is more comfortable than it seems.) Adam and I switched turns transporting our huge air bubble so the other could rest. Hey, using our powers to zip through underwater at dizzying speeds is pretty tiring.

Annabeth stayed awake the whole time, working on designing some temples and courts for Olympus. I didn't dare disturb her while she was busy with her architecture.

"We're almost there, only about ten more minutes," I announced, waking Adam up.

He looked at me groggily. "What time is it?" he asked.

"Almost one o'clock," Annabeth said, her eyes still focused on the laptop. She finished doing whatever she was doing, pressed a glowing blue button, and closed her laptop. She stuffed it into her suitcase and looked at me, like she was expecting me to say something.

Adam sat up, looking at the Annabeth and me curiously.

"Percy, what about the prophecy?" she asked, staring at me with such intensity that made my eyes hurt.

Oh, that. Annabeth reminded me to Iris message Rachel for a prophecy last night, which I did right before bed. The prophecy itself wasn't all _too_ bad, but the nightmares I had about it were. Most of them involved death, torture, and heartbreak – you know, happy stuff you see in TV shows like Barney or Sesame Street.

I shivered at the thought of one of them that involved Adam being chained to a tree by some monster and Annabeth drowning in the water while I was slowly dissolving into sand. Fun.

"Oh yeah, that. Let me remember.

_You shall fulfill your quest – there is no doubt,_

_So long as you select the correct route._

_Two allies shall be held prisoner,_

_A third shall emerge a traitor_.

_The captor is working in the name of jealousy,_

_Miles and miles beneath the sea._"

I looked at them nervously. Our quest was gonna turn out a whole lot more dangerous than I thought.

Annabeth squirmed a little and pursed her lips. "Well, on the bright side, it doesn't sound as bad as our other quests."

Adam just stared at me incredulously, his mouth open in shock. "I _–_ Are you sure you guys want me along?" he asked hesitantly. "I've never done any of this stuff. I suck at fighting."

I sighed as Annabeth pretended to be adjusting her ponytail. "Look, I've been doing this stuff since I was twelve. I know you'll do great. Don't worry about it."

He hugged his knees which were touching his chest. He had a faraway look in his eyes, like he was thinking about something that had happened in the past. He was silent for a while before nodding slowly. "Okay," he whispered.

–––– x ––––

Getting on land again was a bit difficult. The three of us casually walked out of the water, fully clothed and completely dry, carrying suitcases. A few tourists just stared at us, like we were aliens from Mars. At least we didn't blow anything up.

"We look like idiots," Annabeth muttered as we started walking in the direction of the tall hotel with glass windows covering almost the entire exterior. The California sunshine reflected on the glass, making it pretty blinding.

"Yes, we do," I joked. She kicked me in the shin. Adam just rolled his eyes.

The automatic glass doors of the hotel opened as we got within a foot of the entrance. We stepped inside, taking refuge from the warm, sunny weather outside. I approached the receptionist, who looked startled to see three high schoolers on vacation during the beginning of the school year.

She studied Annabeth and Adam over my shoulder and looked at me disgustedly, as if to say _Who is this person? He's not from California._ I glared at her and she got back to the nice reception lady act.

She smiled sweetly. "Welcome to Hilton Hotel, Huntington Beach. How can I be of service today?"

_Shut up and give us our key,_ I thought. "Yeah, I think we have a reservation under the name of Jackson?"

She searched through a stack of folders on the desk for a while. "Mr. Jackson, here is the key to your room. Your room number is 608." She handed me two keys. "Thanks," I mumbled, picking up my suitcase and gesturing for Annabeth and Adam to follow me.

We rode the elevator up to the sixth floor and trudged down a small corridor lined with potted plants and fancy wall lamps until we reached our room. I clumsily stuck the key in the keyhole and unlocked the door.

The room was sweet. It was big, probably three times the size of my bedroom. We had a full view of the bustling city below us, with the beautiful beach in the distance, thanks to an enormous glass window taking up an entire wall. There were three comfortable twin-sized beds across from a writing desk, a caramel sofa, and a wall-mounted flat screen TV. The bathroom and closet were near the entrance of the room.

We stepped inside slowly, taking in every detail. Adam whistled while Annabeth just looked around in amazement.

"The gods were generous this time," Annabeth commented, setting down her suitcase on the center bed.

"They sure were," I agreed, lying down on the far right bed, closest to the window. I closed my eyes for a second. I could get used to _this_.

I heard Annabeth and Adam whispering, so I opened my eyes again. Too late. They whacked me with their pillows. I shielded my head and reached for my own. The pillow fight was _on_. After ten minutes of nonstop craziness, we stopped to catch our breath and unpack.

I didn't pack too much – just a few sets of clothes, my toothbrush, money, and sunscreen (my mom insisted I bring some)… you know, the bare basics. Annabeth, on the other hand, brought a bunch of stuff along – she claimed they would be needed so she could design the new camp perfectly. She even brought a camera to take pictures of the state park to show Chiron.

By the time we were done, it was close to three o'clock. Adam suggested that we grab a snack and head over to Huntington State Park afterwards. Annabeth and I happily agreed, so we changed into shorts and headed to Jamba Juice for smoothies.

"You know this place pretty well, huh?" Annabeth asked Adam. We were walking on the sidewalk, which was lined with tall palm trees and tourists – a typical Californian beach city. Annabeth was standing unusually close to me and subtly touched my hand. I laced our fingers together and looked up to see her smiling.

"You could say that. I used to hang around the whole city with my friend Chelsea, so I know the streets pretty well," he replied, sighing.

"Didn't you say she wanted to visit New York?" I questioned, staring at a seagull flying overhead.

"Yeah. Turn right here, guys."

Right around the corner was Jamba Juice. There were a few people in line already, so Adam took our orders and headed inside while Annabeth and I sat down on an outdoor table. An umbrella was blocking the sunlight from burning our faces. We watched the cars drive past on the street in silence.

I turned my body and looked inside the store. Adam was ordering our drinks and seemed to be talking a lot with the cashier. She had long black hair and green eyes. Her figure was slender and her nails were painted silver. She was giggling while Adam pulled out his wallet. I guess they knew each other.

My train of thought was cut off when I heard a scream. I whipped around and caught a flicker of blonde hair before it disappeared into a shiny black limousine. It zoomed past me at about seventy miles per hour.

I stood up in a flash and chased after the car, pushing past crowds of people in the process. Luckily, the sidewalk was pretty wide and there was an intersection up ahead. I ran as fast as I could, worried about Annabeth.

Movies make it look easy, but chasing a car in real life is almost impossible. With every step I took, the car only seemed get farther and farther away. Adrenaline was pumping through my blood and everything around me seemed to fade away. I only had one thought – _save Annabeth_.

I kept running up the sidewalk, still way behind the car. Then I heard a shatter of glass. The right side passenger window was broken. I pushed my feet even harder against the pavement and swung my arms back and forth like an idiot. I looked at the traffic light up ahead. It was yellow.

Beads of sweat were dripping down my forehead and I felt exhausted already. My breathing came in quick huffs, and I felt insanely thirsty. The two cars ahead of the limo stopped at the intersection. This could be my chance. I slowed down a bit to regain my energy. I didn't have a clue who kidnapped Annabeth, or why, for that matter, but I pulled out Riptide just in case. I was about to close in on the car – it was maybe fifty yards away now.

And I tripped. On an empty soda can. I crashed down and my chin hit the hot cement. Though my invincibility stopped any bleeding, it felt like I had numerous bruises. I cursed to myself. If I didn't get to the car soon, the light would turn green. I felt like acid was boiling in my stomach.

I stumbled up from the sidewalk and ran to the car. Through the shattered window, I could hear a muffled scream and snarling noises. I finally caught up to the car and saw three dracanae, two of whom were wrapping their serpent tails around Annabeth's body. The other was holding a spear to her throat.

I decided it would be better to be hidden, so I ran on to the road and jumped on the trunk of the limousine, using the bumper as leverage. I clung onto the sides of the car, hoping I wouldn't fall off once the car started moving. I made my way up to the ceiling of the car. Just as I got up there, the light flashed green, and the car zoomed forward. The wind was hitting my face and my body felt numb. My heart was beating so quickly that I couldn't even feel it.

I wanted to give up. I was tired, sweaty, and bruised. I was having a severe headache. But I couldn't.

Still hanging on for dear life, I cut a hole in the roof of the car with Riptide. People were starting to take notice of me now, and many of them stopped whatever they were doing to stare. I was about to look down inside the car when an angry dracanae popped its head out and hissed at me.

I quickly sliced my sword through its head, and it disappeared into dust. The other dracanae realized I was a threat, as they began looking up at me and pointing their weapons dangerously.

"Don't get any clossssser, or the girl getssss hurt," one of them hissed.

"Try me," I muttered as I jumped through the hole, into the car. Being invincible, I figured I could probably handle two of these monsters. I landed on my feet into the luxurious limo, although it wasn't the time to admire the nice interior.

I snarled at the closest dracanae and stabbed it, just before it managed to suffocate me to death. I glanced over at Annabeth, who looked close to passing out from lack of blood flow and air. Her mouth was gagged. The final dracanae laughed pitifully.

"Drop your weapon, or ssssshe will die." To prove its point, it tightened its tail around Annabeth, resulting in a small gasp.

I took one look at Annabeth's pained look and dropped Riptide on the ground. The dracanae snared. I heard a police siren behind us.

Then I had an idea. I took off my shoe and dumped its contents on the floor.

The monster laughed even harder now, probably thinking I was insane, but I knew better. I could sense the saltwater running through my veins. Focusing on the grains of sand that had been trapped in my tennis shoes, I shot a blast of cold seawater at its face. Just as it was spitting out the salt, I grabbed Riptide and stabbed it. It vanished.

I dried all the displaced water and focused on Annabeth. She had fallen limp on the seat. I sat on the edge of the large seat and removed the gag from Annabeth's mouth.

I felt her pulse. She was still alive. I shook her gently, not wanting to hurt her. She stirred, groaning a little. I examined her for any scratches or bruises. She didn't look too bad.

Her eyes flashed open and she whispered, "Percy?"

"Are you okay?" I asked softly.

She looked around her, realizing the monsters were gone. "I'm fine. I think I just passed out from being numb and lack of oxygen."

I rolled my eyes. "Are you sure?"

Annabeth glared at me, but her look softened when she heard the concern in my voice. She told me what had happened. A nice looking woman and her chauffeur stepped out of the limo while we were waiting outside for Adam. Annabeth didn't pay much attention to them, until the lady grabbed her while he chauffeur taped her mouth and took away her invisibility cap and dagger. (My ADHD must have been really bad then, because I didn't notice anything.) She was dragged into the car and the two transformed back into their monster form. They said something about bringing her for revenge.

"What in Hades is going on?" Annabeth muttered. "They know _everything_ – that you're invincible, about my weapons, even where we are..."

"We're just going to have to be more careful," I answered.

Suddenly, the car swerved forcefully and I realized how much trouble we were in. We were in a moving car driven by a monster, headed towards who knows where. _Crap._

–––– x ––––

It turned out that escaping from the car was easier than I thought. The limo had a divider separating the driver's section from the passenger section, so we made a smooth escape when the car stopped at a red light.

By the time Annabeth and I got back on the sidewalk, I noticed my phone had five texts and two missed calls from Adam. Considering the danger we were in, I texted him back instead of calling.

He had been looking for us for about twenty minutes now and was worried. I told him our location and that I would explain what happened later.

After about ten minutes, Adam found us sitting on a bench. In his hands were three cups of half melted smoothies. He was sweaty and his face was flushed from jogging nearly half a mile to find us.

"There you are," he gasped, sitting down next to me. He handed me my blueberry smoothie and Annabeth her orange citrus smoothie.

After a few satisfying sips of blueberry goodness, Adam asked me to explain what happened, and I told him. He seemed to be genuinely shocked about the attack. While he was listening, I noticed a seashell bracelet on his wrist. It was emitting an aura of water. I could feel it.

"Where'd you get that bracelet from?" I questioned, pointing to his arm.

He looked down where I was pointing. "This? I got it in the mail a few days ago. I think it was from dad, because the letter smelled like the ocean, but the letter wasn't signed and there was no return address."

He wrinkled his eyebrows thoughtfully. The sunlight reflected on his glasses.

"Who were you talking to in the store?" I asked him after finishing half my smoothie.

His cheeks turned a little red, but it disappeared quickly. "Oh, that was Chelsea. She got a job working there after I moved to Manhattan. Her shift ends in a few hours, and she invited us for dinner at my favorite restaurant." He paused and raised his eyebrow. "Is that okay with you guys?"

I turned to Annabeth, who looked suspicious. "Is she a mortal?" Annabeth asked.

Adam nodded his head silently.

She thought about it for a while. For a minute, I thought she would refuse. Annabeth never really liked mortals – whenever she said the word 'mortal', it sounded like some incurable, contagious disease. But then she shrugged and said, "Sure, after we check out the new camp location."

And that settled it. I stood up from the bench, with Annabeth and Adam following suit.

"Where to?" I asked Adam.

He pointed forward. "We just need to keep walking down Beach Boulevard, then turn left into Seapoint Avenue. There's an entrance to the park there, but we need to hurry. It's almost four thirty."

I groaned. "Aren't there any taxis here?"

Adam chuckled. "Nope. We'll have to stick to walking."

* * *

Well, that was my first attempt at writing an action scene. Please review so I know what to improve on! Thank you. Expect another update in a five days or so.


	6. I Get Some Useful Advice

Author's Note: Sorry for taking so long to update, but I have a bad case of writer's block, so I spent several days rereading and improving this chapter. Thank you to **ThoseHotGuysWeLoveLover**, **alidei**, **lalaland**, and **bustermage** for the reviews! Especially to alidei – I will keep that in mind for future action scenes (there'll be a couple more coming up).

And, yes, I am quite aware that Percy and Annabeth are kind of OOC in this chapter – but it is essential to the plot and is caused by one of the antagonists. You'll probably figure it out when you read the little hints.

* * *

**CHAPTER SIX: I GET SOME USEFUL ADVICE**

_

* * *

_

_Percy's POV_

It was _perfect_. Tall, thin trees with vibrant green leaves populated the dense forest. The forest was teeming with wildlife – colorful butterflies fluttered in the air, birds were chirping happily, and everything seemed at ease. Giant rocks and bushes were scattered around, making it perfect for capture the flag games.

Yep. I could see this as the second Camp Half-Blood.

Annabeth was ecstatic and started chattering about where she was going to put each facility. "The arena's gonna be there, next to the stables. The volleyball courts should actually be in the sand, don't you think? Mmmm. And the cabins should be in the center of everything…"

We continued walking along, stopping frequently for Annabeth to take pictures. Before too long, we reached the end of the forest and saw the wetlands. The ground was swampy and dotted with little patches of saltwater, which housed baby birds and spiky olive green plants.

Annabeth sighed happily and smiled. "Isn't this great?"

I wasn't sure if she was asking about the location or about spending time together, so I just agreed.

She eyed me curiously, her eyes gleaming with amusement, while I tried to focus on the ocean ahead of us. By now, the wind was starting to pick up and blew my hair in odd directions, making it messier than before. Annabeth's loose strands of hair got in her eyes, which she quickly brushed aside. I could still feel her gaze was still on me.

I sighed. "What?" I asked her.

She rolled her eyes and gestured for me to follow her as she ran the final steps to the sand. I followed her after glancing at Adam, who mumbled something about not being able to take a hint and jogged away.

Annabeth kicked off her sandals and waded in the three inch deep water, impatiently waiting for me. I got in the water with her.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked. "You've been so quiet."

I bit my lip. I could have sworn drinking the smoothie made my mind fog up. Looking at Wise Girl over here didn't make things any easier.

"It's nothing," I said smoothly. I myself wasn't sure either. It felt like a rush of emotions were passing through my body too quickly for me to understand.

She frowned and didn't ask any more questions. After staring at the horizon in silence, Annabeth turned to me and moved closer so our bodies were only inches apart.

"Percy, we need to talk."

"Hmm?" My eyes were still glued on the horizon.

"Percy, I'm serious."

"I can tell."

She growled angrily and poked my chest. "Don't you feel like something suspicious is going on?"

The words hit me like ice. I looked at her, puzzled. "N-no."

She rolled her eyes. Okay, this was getting _annoying_. "Just tell me," I told her.

"We need privacy," she stated simply.

"Okay…"

I pulled her farther out into the ocean, where the water was almost seven feet deep, and made an air bubble. We comfortably laid down inside of it.

I propped up my chin with one of my hands and looked at Annabeth, who was laying down next to me.

"Remember the prophecy?" Annabeth asked me.

I nodded.

"The part where it says '_Two allies shall be held prisoner,_ _a third shall emerge a traitor_' gets me thinking."

I was confused. Where was she going with this?

When she saw my blank face, she explained. "That attack today. The monsters knew exactly where we were. They knew about my knife and my hat. They knew you were invincible. They knew that your weakness is loyalty – that's why they kidnapped me."

I stared at her. "Go on."

"That means somebody told them about all this. _Somebody is putting our lives at risk._ And I think that somebody is the traitor, as the prophecy says," she continued emotionlessly.

My mind literally went blank. Did she mean Adam? There was no way my half brother could be the traitor. No effing way. I clenched my jaw in anger. How could Annabeth think of such a thing?

"How could you think of something like that?" I fumed. I smacked my hand down angrily.

"HOW COULD YOU THINK MY BROTHER IS A TRAITOR?" I almost yelled at her face.

She was taken aback by my anger, shock plastered on her face. "Percy, think about it. He mysteriously pops up now – why not before? He's never there for any of the action. He wasn't there when I was kidnapped. Who knows, that attack on him last night could've just been an act."

"No," I said.

"Percy, he's a good guy, with a sense of humor and brains. I'm not saying he _is_ the traitor. It just seems like it."

"No," I repeated, my voice faltering.

We were both silent for a few minutes until I said coldly, "You know, it said _three_ allies. That doesn't include me. That means two of my friends are going to be prisoners. The third one will be the traitor. So far there's only the two of you."

Annabeth looked at me sadly and shook her head. "Y-you have to learn to let people go," she said. She closed her eyes, like she was trying to visualize something.

I thought about what she said. It made sense – of course, what would you expect from a daughter of Athena? But I still couldn't think of my half brother as a traitor. After all, prophecies always have double meanings.

After she calmed down, I whispered, "Okay, you're right, Wise Girl. I'll be more careful, all right?"

She gave a weak smile and replied, "That's all I ask."

–––– x ––––

"What took you guys so long?" Adam demanded, watching us as we walked out of the water. He sat perched on a rock, playing some game on his phone.

Annabeth and I exchanged looks. My tongue betrayed me. "We, uh, um…" I muttered stupidly.

His eyes lit up and he winked. "I hoped you guys used protection."

Annabeth and I blushed, our faces turning bright red. She laughed nervously.

"Thanks for the useful advice," I muttered sarcastically.

Adam stuffed his phone in his pocket and beamed. "No need to thank me," he said proudly. I groaned at his act. "Now, let's get to the restaurant. It's six thirty now, and walking there will take half an hour. I promised to be there at seven."

"Let's come back here tomorrow," Annabeth piped up. "I need to take more pictures and measurements so I can get started on the blueprints. This is going to turn out great!" Talk about a mood swing.

And she kept going on and on, about which kind of columns she should use for the dining pavilion and how many square feet the new sword fighting arena should be… blah, blah, blah. This was going to be a long walk.

"So what kind of architecture do you like, Adam?" Annabeth asked him as we walked along the boardwalk bordering the breathtaking Pacific Ocean.

"Oh. Well, uh, French and Italian architecture is pretty cool," Adam muttered, playing with his seashell bracelet. That thing radiated something weird. I can't describe it, but I get this tingly feeling whenever I focus on it too much.

"Ugh! I absolutely hate Italian architecture! It's a huge rip-off of Greek architecture. I mean, look at _that_" – she pointed to an expensive looking shopping plaza across the street – "the facades are practically copies of Greek ones. And they even use white marble and granite. The nerve!" she huffed.

I rolled my eyes at Adam. He looked at me pleadingly, like he was saying _can you please make your girlfriend shut up?_

I grinned, instantly thinking of a plan.

"OH MY GODS! Annabeth, there's a spider crawling up your leg!" I yelled out, pointing down at her ankle.

The look on her face was priceless. She screeched and almost jumped out of her skin. She furiously kept shaking her legs, trying to get the imaginary spider off. The masses of people around us stared curiously at what was going on.

"Oops, my bad. It was just a piece of dust," I snickered.

The fear on her face changed into anger. Her screech changed to a growl as she clenched her jaw and proceeded to punch me. Unfortunately for her, I already sprinted off in the direction of the restaurant. I looked back and stuck out my tongue at her.

She chased after me, yelling, "Percy, you are such a kid!" Hey, adults always say to enjoy your childhood, right?

–––– x ––––

After getting whacked with a flip flop and sand down my shirt, we finally made it to the restaurant, which had a view of the pier across the street. It looked like one of those posh seafood restaurants that rich families take their kids to. In other words, a perfect place to trash, blow up, and/or vaporize. Take your pick.

"Hey, Adam?" I asked him.

He jerked his head up in acknowledgement. "Yeah?"

"What kind of food do they serve there?" I pointed at the restaurant, which was fifty yards away.

"It's a Hawaiian grill restaurant. Sooo, it's mainly seafood, steak, and chicken?" he said, raising his eyebrows at me.

"Oh. Great," I said quietly.

"Seafood? I love seafood!" Annabeth shrieked excitedly. Wait, since when did she get excited over food?

Loud footsteps and a yelp interrupted my thoughts. I blinked at a blob of navy that rushed towards Adam and pulled him in a bear hug. It was Chelsea, the girl he talked to at Jamba Juice. She was wearing a dark blue sundress with a black bow around her waist. Her silver necklace and nails sparkled in the sunlight. Her tanned skin was literally glowing an aquamarine color… Hm.

They pulled away from each other after realizing how awkwardly Annabeth and I were standing there. Adam had his arm slung around Chelsea's shoulder and grinned widely.

"Chelsea, this is Percy" – I gave a small wave – "and Annabeth." She stared at the two of them standing side by side, the same way girls at my school scrutinize every picture in _Vague_ (or was Vogue?) magazine.

"Hi Percy and Annabeth," Chelsea said cheerfully. Her voice sounded beautiful, a perfect combination of pitch and melody.

"Hi," Annabeth and I said at the same time. Chelsea giggled as my face burned despite the cooling temperature.

"Err, let's go inside," Adam suggested, breaking the silence. He and Chelsea walked ahead, talking and laughing together.

"Well?" I asked Annabeth, raising an eyebrow. "I thought you were excited for the seafood?"

She looked at me strangely and cocked her head. "What? I never said that."

"Yes, you did." What was wrong with her?

"Ugh, you must be hearing things. Let's hurry up before they get too far ahead." She motioned at the two, who had already reached the parking lot of the restaurant.

"Whatever," I grumbled, my head spinning out of control.

–––– x ––––

Our table was next to a window overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It was evening, and the sunlight was starting to fade away, making the water turn a pale tint of aqua. Wooden panels adorned the walls of the restaurant while huge potted palm trees and minimal lighting created a calming atmosphere. I sat next to Annabeth, across from Adam and Chelsea, who both seemed to be talking like they had been separated for years rather than weeks.

Finally, the waiter came and took our orders. Adam and I ordered steak, while the girls ordered fish. After the waiter left, Adam suggested that the four of us walk on the pier after dinner, which all of us agreed to.

Our drinks arrived minutes later. Annabeth, Adam, and I excused ourselves to wash up. "We had a little sand war," Adam explained while smirking at Annabeth and me, in response to Chelsea's surprised look.

"Awww, how cute!" Chelsea squealed, looking excitedly at Annabeth and me. I made a face at Annabeth, who just rolled her eyes.

The three of us stood up from our seats and headed towards the restrooms.

"If she were a demigod, she'd be a daughter of Aphrodite," Annabeth muttered to me.

I laughed. "Don't let Aphrodite hear that or she'll hate you forever."

"She probably already does," she mumbled.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I demanded.

She smiled. "Whatever you _think_ it means."

Of course, leave it up to a daughter of Athena to talk in riddles. "You don't have to talk in riddles," I snapped.

"You know, you look pretty cute when you're –"

"Worried, right?" I finished, sighing in frustration.

She blushed a little. "You remembered? And I was going to say mad."

I was about to retort something when Adam pulled my shoulder. "Dude, I don't think you're a girl." He pointed to the door to the women's restroom, which just so happened to be right in front of my face. I was so absorbed into talking with Annabeth that I just followed her, not paying attention to where I was walking.

"Oops."

Annabeth laughed at my stupidity and disappeared inside the restroom.

A few minutes later, I walked back out of the restroom feeling completely refreshed and ready to enjoy a meal. By now, the drinks were already on the table, but Annabeth and Adam weren't back yet. I sat down in my seat, sitting diagonal from Chelsea who flashed a smile at me that didn't look too friendly.

"The drinks here are absolutely delicious," she said dreamily, putting her elbow on the table and resting her head lightly on her hand. Her bright neon green eyes looked at me intensely, and before I knew it, I took a sip of my drink. I recognized those eyes from somewhere, but I couldn't remember where.

The moment it touched my tongue, a heavenly sweet mixture of pineapple, strawberry, cherry, and orange juice overcame my taste buds. The only thing was that it left a slight metallic aftertaste and distorted my thoughts. _It's just brain freeze_, I thought to myself.

Chelsea's smile widened, her white teeth shining, even though the restaurant was minimally lit. I was startled to see that some of her teeth were extremely sharp and pointy, resembling a shark's tooth.

"It's not nice to stare," she whispered emotionlessly.

Just in time, Adam came back to the table and slipped in the chair next to Chelsea. They started chatting animatedly again as I half listened and played with the straw in my drink.

Annabeth and the food arrived at the same time. I flashed a smile at her as she looked at me strangely.

The rest of the dinner went by quickly and smoothly. The meal and dessert were great, and before I knew it, the four of us were walking on the pier as the sky turned darker. The weather was cool, and the occasional sea breeze whipped my body and sent chills down my spine.

Annabeth and I stopped near the end of the pier and we leaned over the railing to look at the water below us. Something didn't feel right about the sea. It didn't feel calm and peaceful like in the morning. It felt as if something dark was stirring underwater…

Annabeth wrapped her fingers around my hand gently. "I want to take a picture of us, okay?" She took out her small digital camera from her shorts pocket with her free hand.

"Say cheese!" she exclaimed. I gave a toothy grin while tilting my head closer to hers.

Her slender finger pressed a button on camera. The camera flashed, temporarily blinding me, and made a clicking sound. She showed me the picture on the screen of the camera.

The picture was of a happy teenage couple holding hands with the ocean acting as the backdrop. The girl's blonde hair was in a messy ponytail while her gray eyes sparkled with joy, and her simple light green t-shirt fluttered in the wind. The boy's grin was lopsided, his jet black hair covering half of a sea green eye.

These two friends had saved each other's butts so many times. They had a close bond with other. Sure, they argued like an old couple, but deep down, they both cared for each other.

And I couldn't help but crack a smirk and let my eyes get a little watery. I couldn't help it – I blame it on the brain freeze I got earlier. My life wasn't perfect. But at least I had somebody – somebody who can be too much of a Wise Girl sometimes, but means so much to me.

Annabeth noticed the water pooling in my eyes and rested her head on my shoulder. It felt oddly comfortable, probably because our height difference was only a few inches.

"You know, when I first met you, I didn't like you," Annabeth began, her voice just loud enough for me to hear. Her eyes were focused on the distant ocean.

"With the rivalry between Athena and Poseidon and all that, you know? But when we finished our first quest, I started seeing you differently. Maybe you weren't so bad after all…" she paused for a while.

"You're such a nice person," I remarked sarcastically.

She ruffled my hair playfully. "Anyway, the year after that, my feelings became stronger. You and I were best friends now, and I wouldn't have any it other way. Just when I thought of us as a little more than friends, Rachel came along." She sighed and closed her eyes.

"I didn't want to lose you. I didn't want you to find another friend and leave me behind. I'll never admit it, but I always valued friends. I guess it was because of my childhood – not having anyone to trust, to fight side by side with. Luke and Thalia… they were my family. But when they left, I only had you left."

By now, I was feeling pretty bad. I knew I wasn't the brightest marker in the box. I was oblivious sometimes, but sometimes… oh, screw it. I'm a Seaweed Brain and that won't change.

"Maybe I should stop, this is starting to sound too mushy and girly," Annabeth thought wistfully.

I wasn't thinking straight, but I wanted to hear what she had to say. "No, I want to hear," I whispered into her ear.

She nodded and thought for a while. The lights were starting to flicker on now, illuminating the pier and making it look like some sort of magical pathway, if you get what I mean.

"When it was time for war, I realized the risks. I could die, you could die… That was when I realized I thought of you as more than a friend. Ironically, you were thinking the same thing… and here we are." She smiled and raised her head from my shoulder.

"One more thing," I said.

"Mmm?"

"What did you say at my funeral when everyone thought I died?" I asked teasingly.

She groaned.

"Please!" I whined.

She gave in. "Fine, but this will be last time I ever say it." She paused, placing her hands on my neck. She leaned in, our noses almost touching. Her warm breath smelled of tropical fruit with a slight hint of metal. Her makeup-less face glowed from in the dim light.

"You are the bravest friend I've ever had."

As soon as the words left her mouth, she placed her lips on top of mine and I entered a world of paradise.

–––– x ––––

After talking for a little bit more, we went searching for Adam and Chelsea. We found them near the edge of the pier, huddled together in a warm embrace. It was hard to see their faces, because the light from the lamps couldn't reach them. Annabeth didn't want to ruin in the moment, so we waited a while, a safe distance away.

After ten minutes, I was getting impatient. "I'm tired and I wanna sleep!" I complained to Annabeth, who had been observing the two of them the whole time.

She put her hand on my chin and tilted my head in their direction.

Adam and Chelsea were facing each other, edging closer to each other with each passing second. And they kissed passionately.

The second their lips touched each other, a couple of things happened.

One: A blinding blue light surrounded the two of them. Two: I heard a splintering creaking sound of wood as the pier collapsed. Three: I blacked out.

All in the course of about five seconds.

* * *

Do you know who the traitor is now? :)

I hope the talking between Annabeth and Percy didn't sound too mushy; I tried my best to make it sound realistic. As always, please review if you have the chance so I know what to improve on. Thank you!


	7. My Friends Disappear

Author's Note: I realize that things went a little fast in the last chapter. This chapter will answer some of the questions you may have because of the cliffhanger. The point of view in this chapter changes once.

* * *

**CHAPTER SEVEN: MY FRIENDS DISAPPEAR  
**

**

* * *

**

_Percy's POV_

"_You cannot leave."_

_Those desperate words escaped from the mouth of a pretty woman with flowing black hair and striking teal eyes. She looked like she had just cried, because her eyes were red and swollen, although I'm not sure where the tears go when you're underwater. _

_Her son, who was a merman, swished his two fish tails back and forth nervously. His normally green skin turned a sickly pale color. He nodded in agreement with his mother._

"_Father, please… You are needed to help rebuild Atlantis," he begged._

_My father looked at the two of them regretfully. He rubbed his chin, as if contemplating whether to stay or not. He looked more stressed than when I saw him at Long Island Sound weeks ago. His normally jet black hair was looking more like salt and pepper, he had more wrinkles on his face, and his lips were pursed in a frown. What could possibly be so wrong? _

"_No," Poseidon said firmly. "I must attend these meetings with the other Olympians. There is much to be done, and as you know, it is never easy to reach a decision on something. For now, our realm must wait."_

_With that, he disappeared in a beam of light, leaving tiny bubbles in his wake. Amphitrite burst out crying hysterically, while Triton tried to calm her._

"_First he reveals he had an affair with yet _another_ mortal woman, which he has kept quiet about for seventeen years! Then he leaves for a week, with Atlantis in near ruins. And now he tells us he needs to spend another month in Olympus!" she sobbed._

_Triton sighed, like he was used to all of this. "He will come back, Mother."_

_She stopped crying for a second, her bloodshot eyes wide. "I should have taken my father's offer," she whispered._

_Triton stepped back quickly, his mouth open in shock. He dropped his trident. "No! How could you say such a thing?"_

_Then the scene changed, going forward in time. Amphitrite was standing next to a mermaid, a scroll of paper clutched in her hand._

"_Thalassa, how is the plan coming along?" Amphitrite asked her servant._

_The mermaid nodded. "It has been executed perfectly thus far."_

_Amphitrite looked pleased and her lips crooked up into a sly smile. "Good. Now, deliver this scroll to our associate." She said the last word in a different tone of voice, and it seemed like her servant understood who she was talking about. _

"_Yes, my lady." The mermaid swam away._

_Amphitrite was left staring down at a small garden of glowing sea plants. She sighed after a moment and turned to her side. There was an enormous sunken ship in the distance. It looked ancient and creepy. There were numerous missing chunks from the hull and the body. Yet there was something eerie and mysterious about it – a stronger presence. _

"_Soon, my father. Soon…" she whispered. She lightly touched a glowing seashell bracelet on her wrist, one identical to Adam's. _

**. . . . . . . . .**

I sat up in my bed and yawned, facing towards the glass window and the spectacular view of the beach. My brain felt numb, as if someone had injected anesthesia into it, while I tried to think about my puzzling dream.

After taking a look at the fancy wall clock, I discovered it was 11 o'clock in the morning. Oh my gods.

I stood up from the bed quickly, stretching and groaning at the same time. Strangely, I was dressed in the same clothes as the previous day – a t-shirt and shorts. _Hmmm, why didn't I change into pajamas? _I thought. I racked through my brain, trying to remember what happened last night.

My mind blanked.

_I couldn't remember anything that happened last night._

The closest thing that I remembered was saving Annabeth from the monsters and drinking the smoothie. Everything that happened after that was completely wiped out of my brain. This quest was getting weirder and weirder.

After a few minutes of trying to piece together last night's occurrences, I finally gave up and returned to the matter at hand.

I turned my gaze from the window back to our enormous hotel room. It was totally empty.

"Annabeth? Adam?" I bellowed, walking around the room and looking for them. I swear, if this was another joke, I was gonna hurt them. I looked under the desk, in the closet, in the bathroom, and every possible hiding place, but to no avail. They weren't here. At all.

It was at that moment that I felt a lump of something in my shorts pocket. I dug in my pocket to find a digital camera. I recognized it as Annabeth's – she had brought it along to take pictures of the new Camp Half-Blood location and while we were sightseeing. My ADHD got the best of me, and I turned on the camera to look through what pictures she had taken so far.

The most recent picture was one of me and Annabeth holding hands and smiling. It was nighttime, and we were standing in front of the ocean somewhere… but I couldn't remember taking this picture. I went through a few more pictures, but I couldn't remember anything about them either.

I decided to take a shower first (to wake myself up) and wait to see if they came back. Who knows, they might have gone sightseeing or eating while I was still sleeping. I went to the luggage stand to open my suitcase. I grabbed a few personal items and some clothes from the closet.

Entering the spacious bathroom, I placed my clean clothes on the smooth granite counter and began to strip for the shower. It was while I was taking off my shirt that I noticed a piece of paper had been taped to my back. I pulled the note from my shirt and read it. The handwriting didn't look a lot like Annabeth's, but I guess she was in a rush or something.

_Percy, we're going to eat breakfast and go to the beach. I didn't want to wake you up. Sorry if our absence scared you. We'll be back in a few hours. _

_- Annabeth_

I snorted. Of course Annabeth would choose to tape the note to my back instead of somewhere normal – say, a table. (I sleep on my stomach, so I guess it must've been easy for her.)

Although the note took me a while to read, my worries vanished instantly. I dropped the note into the trash can and gave a sigh of relief as I stepped into the glass shower stall. I turned on the warm water and willed myself to get soaked by the water. The rhythmic pounding of the water helped me relax.

I started thinking about my strange dream again. My dad left his immortal wife and son so he could sort things out with the other gods. They most likely involved precautions for future wars and peacemaking with the minor gods and Titans. Though it was pretty depressing to just leave his kingdom behind in ruins… I could understand the pain Amphitrite is going through. But who was her father she was talking about? I couldn't remember…

I squinted my eyes, looking for the little bottles of soap that hotels give you. My eyes rested upon a bottle of a greenish liquid with navy beads. Apparently it was "Green Tea Soap with exfoliating microbeads for luxuriously soft, healthy skin". Yeah, because every guy wants super soft skin that smells like tea. That'll make the girls go crazy for us.

I washed my hair with their "volumizing shampoo with four vitamins clinically proven to make hair three times shinier" and finished my shower. I dried my hair with a towel and put on clean clothes. The hotel was nice enough to give us free combs, so I tried (but probably failed) at taming my messy hair. After brushing my teeth, I left the bathroom feeling energetic and clean.

An empty room welcomed me. By now, the sun was bright and our room was amply lit, courtesy of Apollo. I frowned while looking at the clock. It was noon now, and Annabeth and Adam still weren't back yet. Worried, I took my phone from the nightstand and turned it on. The battery was running low, and I forgot to bring my charger. Damn it.

I sent both of them a text asking them how they were doing. When I was done, I quickly turned off my phone to save the battery. I'm not _that_ stupid, okay?

To pass the time, I turned on the flat screen TV. The default channel was local news station. I was about to switch to another channel when the words "BREAKING NEWS" flashed and dramatic music played. A news reporter lady was holding a microphone and standing on the beach.

"This just in. The world famous Huntington Beach pier, which currently holds the world record for the longest structure built on the ocean, collapsed yesterday night at about 10 P.M. The cause of the incident is currently unknown…"

I stared at the background. In the distance, I saw huge beams of wood floating in the water.

"…there were a number of tourists and residents on the pier, but the amount of survivors or deaths remains a mystery. The mayor of the city has this to say."

The screen flickered to a woman probably in her fifties. "We are unsure of why this has happened. The pier is inspected every week, and gets regular maintenance to ensure its safety. The city spends thousands of dollars each year…"

The mayor went on blabbering about how shocking it was and stuff. Blah, blah, blah. Uninterested, I flipped through the channels until I found something interesting to watch.

An hour later, I began to get worried and hungry. I checked my phone for any texts or missed calls. There were none. I lay down on the plush bed, resting my head on the fluffy pillow, and thought of what to do.

Should I go looking for them? Nah, I didn't even know where they ate or what stretch of the beach they were at. Were they in danger? Not likely. Adam would be there to – oh wait, didn't Annabeth say something about him being a traitor?

I tried grasping the memory from my brain, but lost it. It was frustrating. Why did half of my memories from the other day just _disappear_?

I gave it a little more thought, and decided to go down to the hotel restaurant for lunch. I brought my phone, Riptide, and some cash along, just in case.

**. . . . . . . . .**

Lunch was alright. The restaurant served lunch in a buffet style. The food was pretty good, but I felt kind of lonely eating all by myself. The upside was that the cost was charged into our "account", so the gods would be paying for it. Right before I left the restaurant, I checked my phone again. No texts or phone calls.

I decided to go looking for them at the beach, so I left the hotel and walked across the street. It was Saturday, so the beach was packed with hoards of people having barbeques and sun tanning. I took off my flip-flops and walked along the shore, with the waves of water gently splashing against my toes.

Something felt strange about the water though. It didn't feel at ease anymore – the water felt restless. Did it have anything to do with my dream? Maybe.

The Pacific Ocean is on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, where my dad's main palace is. And since he's not in his realm at the moment, there's no one to keep things under control.

I stopped walking for a while to look around the beach for any signs of Annabeth or Adam. It was much too crowded, and the fact that people kept moving around didn't help make things easier. I kept walking along the shoreline, looking for them, until I reached the site of the collapsed pier.

Okay, more like within a hundred yards of it.

The area of beach around the pier was roped off from the public, and police officers were guarding the perimeter, not allowing anyone to get close. I shrugged and walked around the area, still keeping an eye out for my friends.

I was getting really, really nervous now. They were gone for two hours since I woke up, not counting how long they woke up before me. They didn't answer any of my texts and I couldn't find them anywhere.

By now, I had walked for forty-five minutes and covered a couple miles of beach. I thought about sending them an Iris message, but all the drachmas were in the hotel room, so I headed back to the hotel.

Halfway there, I saw a dark haired girl with neon green eyes and nails painted a shiny silver approaching me. She was wearing a tank top and shorts. Why did she look familiar?

"Hi!" she said brightly to me.

I looked at her carefully and hesitated before asking, "Um, do I know you?"

She giggled. "I'm Adam's friend – Chelsea. Nice to meet you." She stuck out her hand.

Memories started flooding back into my mind: images of our visit to Huntington State Park, the sand war, and dinner… I blinked at Chelsea. Had she triggered something inside my mind?

I shook her hand awkwardly after seeing her confused expression. I looked behind for her any signs of Annabeth or Adam. "I'm Percy," I muttered.

"Percy," she repeated. I nodded my head.

"So, uh, have you by any chance seen Adam today?" I pressed.

She flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Yeah, I saw him with a blonde girl earlier today."

Then I remembered what happened last night at the pier. Annabeth and I took a picture, and she talked about her progression of feelings towards me. We kissed and went looking for Chelsea and Adam. We found them hugging each other. Right when their lips met in a heated kiss…

Chelsea pointed in the direction I just came from. "They were wading in the water over there. Let me take you there and see if they're still there." I nodded and followed her.

It was one of the biggest mistakes of my life.

**. . . . . . . . .**

_Third Person POV_

Annabeth stirred slightly in her sleep. She buried her face deeper into the pillow on her bed, which was extremely cool for some odd reason. She felt exhausted – every muscle in her body was aching and she felt drained of energy. Her half conscious body screamed at her to wake up, but she had no intention of doing anything besides sleeping for at least another half hour. Her eyelids felt like they were glued to her eyeballs, and sleep felt so comforting.

It took a few moments for Annabeth to comprehend the chilling state of the room. She shivered, instinctively reaching for a blanket to throw over herself. She groped her slender fingers around before grasping a piece of velvety thin fabric. _Oh well, it's better than nothing,_ she thought.

She tugged on it, but stopped when she realized it wouldn't move. Something was weighing it down or it was stuck in between something. After a few more moments of desperate pulling, she still couldn't get it free, so she gave up and returned to sleeping.

But the coldness was unbearable. Her body kept shivering, and her heart pounded in quick, short thumps. Though she wanted nothing to do but rest in peace and warmth, she didn't want to be stupid and have to put up with a cold later. She moved her legs around the bare bed, trying to feel something to throw over herself.

Her legs brushed against something warm and incredibly silky soft. She slowly moved her leg back to that location, and pressed against it. The warmth felt heavenly. In fact, it felt like the warmth from that object was seeping into Annabeth's body, for she felt energized and the stress on her muscles disappeared. Her mind cleared significantly.

Unfortunately, that was when Annabeth began to think a little too much. She realized that whatever she had pressed her leg against felt… _bony_.

Annabeth instantly opened her eyes and pulled her leg away.

She almost had a heart attack right then and there. How was this possible? How could she still be alive? No. This had to be a dream of some sort. Or an illusion? As stupid as the act was, Annabeth pinched herself anyway and realized it wasn't a dream nor an illusion. It was all real. But it shouldn't be possible for her, a daughter of Athena, to be _here_ of all places –

"How in Hades am I underwater and not drowning?" Annabeth yelled out loud, unable to control her curiosity and growing suspicions.

She bolted up from what she thought was a bed, but was actually a slab of porous coral that looked like it had been pounded flat. Annabeth wrinkled her eyebrows. She had read that coral could either be soft or hard, but soft coral was rare, and mostly used for commercial purposes. Nonetheless, it seemed pretty comfortable to sleep on. The pillow cover appeared to be woven from tiny threads of seaweed, while the pillow itself was stuffed with the clear translucent balloon-like part of jellyfish.

Wherever she was, it was somewhat dark, but she could see her surroundings. After a quick survey, Annabeth learned with shock that she was stuck inside a small room with walls made of solid rock and a high ceiling. Hanging from the ceiling was a large pearl emitting light – most likely something created by Poseidon to provide some light underwater.

The "bed" took up nearly the entire room, and there was no door or opening to be found anywhere. With a quiet gasp, Annabeth understood. She was in some sort of cell.

She heard something stir behind her in the bed.

She whipped her head around, expecting a fish or monster. But it was Adam. He was looking extremely sleepy. He was in a wrinkled navy t-shirt - Annabeth blushed furiously when she realized she had mistaken it for a blanket – and a pair of plaid shorts. Annabeth cursed at herself for being an idiot and touching his leg before just because it was warm. Wait, wasn't it soft too? Guys aren't supposed to have skin _that_ soft… and did she just _sleep_ with Percy's half brother?

"Annabeth?" he murmured, looking around incredulously.

Annabeth looked at him curiously. What had happened yesterday that made them end up here?

"GODS DAMN IT! Why are we underwater inside a rock house?" Adam yelled, bolting from the slab of coral and pounding his hand on the rock walls.

The magical spell faded away from Annabeth's mind. Everything that had happened the other day spilled back into her mind with extreme clarity. It didn't take long for the intelligent girl to piece things together. Anger started to boil inside her body. She didn't feel tired anymore thanks to Adam's touch, and she didn't really care where she was or how she wasn't drowning right now. She just wanted to hurt that little pathetic traitor who called himself Percy's brother.

When Adam realized he couldn't break the wall, he turned back to Annabeth. A word started forming on his lips, but he was utterly shocked when Annabeth drew her hand and slapped him on the face, nearly knocking off his glasses. He recoiled in pain. He knew Annabeth could pack a punch, but the searing pain on his cheek along with the feeling that he had been hit by a girl made him furious.

The pain on his cheek was short lived, because the water healed it quickly, but the dent in his pride remained. Right before Annabeth could reach in her pocket for her dagger, Adam forcefully grabbed her wrist and twisted it. He didn't want to hurt Annabeth, but he had no other choice.

"What in Hades do you think you're doing?" he snarled at Annabeth.

Her gray eyes showed no mercy – just plain, cruel hatred. "I could be asking you the same question," Annabeth replied coldly, squirming to get out of his grasp.

"W-what?" Adam stuttered.

"You know what you did. Don't even lie about it. I knew it all this time. You're the traitor from the prophecy, Adam. You were the one who told the dracanae to kidnap me the other day. N-now you've separated me from Percy! WHERE IS HE?" she shot back, her face flushed from the emotion.

Adam loosened his grip from Annabeth's wrist. He looked startled at her sudden outburst.

She seized the chance to grab the dagger out of her pocket. In a single swift movement, she had Adam pinned to the cold stone wall with the dagger inches from his throat.

"Call it off," she demanded. "I don't know who you work for, but get me back to safety. Don't you dare hurt Percy."

Adam was gasping from Annabeth's grip on his throat. "A-Annabeth, you have got to believe me… I don't know what you're talking about," he choked.

Annabeth menacingly put the dagger on his neck. Adam winced at the contact between metal and skin.

* * *

Please review! (: Expect another update this week, as I already have half of the next chapter written so far – I couldn't stop writing. xD


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